How to manage pear trees in early spring? Sharing growing experience

“Rational distribution of stored nutrients in the tree body and reducing useless consumption is one of the important techniques for promoting normal tree growth and producing high-quality fruit. During this period, measures such as bud removal and flower bud thinning can reduce useless consumption in the tree body, and this is a relatively important stage in early spring management of pear trees.” Wu Sijiang, an agronomist at the Agricultural Technology Center of Jin'e Town, Longchang County, introduced early spring management techniques to pear growers.

He said that after the spring buds sprout, they should be removed when they grow to 2~5 mm. The earlier the bud removal is done, the better, until the flowering stage. If delayed, although it can reduce the occurrence of water sprouts, more stored nutrients are lost, and the tree vigor is easily weakened. After pruning large branches in winter, water sprouts or useless branches and leaves are often easily formed, and these should also be removed promptly at this time. Flower buds can be thinned from when the scales fall off until before flowering, but it is best to thin them when the flower buds are exposed. When thinning buds, you can press the flower buds downward with your fingers so that the pedicel breaks. At the same time, care should be taken to protect the young leaves growing from the inflorescence. When thinning buds, generally retain one inflorescence per standard of about 20 cm, using fruit to control upper growth; when thinning buds that sprout relatively late, after the inflorescence extends, secondary inflorescences should be removed promptly, retaining normal flowers. When pollination conditions are good and some flowers have already completed fertilization and can meet high-yield requirements, lime sulfur mixture can be sprayed in combination with pest and disease control to kill the stigmas of late flowers and thereby thin flowers.