How should fresh jujubes be pruned in summer to increase yield?

Jujubes come in two kinds, fresh and dried. Generally, we eat the fresh ones as fruit, while the dried ones are used to make soup, congee, desserts, and so on. Fresh jujubes also taste very sweet, with a crisp and refreshing texture, and they are not too hard. Fruit tree pruning is very necessary, as it can increase yield and improve appearance. So what are the key points for pruning fresh jujubes in summer? How can the yield be increased?

1. What are the key points for pruning fresh jujubes in summer?

Summer is the full fruit-bearing period for fresh jujubes. When pruning trees in the full fruit-bearing period, attention should be paid to regulating the relationship between vegetative growth and reproductive growth, and maintaining tree vigor. Use a combination of thinning and heading back, open up the light path, and guide light into the canopy. Pay attention to the cultivation and renewal of fruiting branch groups to extend the fruiting years. Regulate the relationship between vegetative growth and reproductive growth. After entering the full fruit-bearing period, keeping the tree vigor moderate is the foundation for high and stable yields. For trees with few fruits and excessively vigorous growth, use trunk or main branch girdling and open the branch angles. For trees with many fruits, drooping branches, and relatively weak vigor, head back and cut back.

1. Removing jujube heads

Keep the jujube heads that have space for growth, and remove the rest from the base.

2. Pinching

For retained jujube heads, when there are 3 to 5 secondary branches, select and retain 1 outward-facing secondary branch for pinching. When pinching, remove the large terminal bud, that is, when the terminal growth at the pinching point reaches more than 10 cm, remove the terminal growing point.

3. Opening the branch angles

By methods such as propping, pulling, pushing, and hanging, adjust the base angle of the main branches to 70°, and the middle angle to 70° to 80°. Pay attention to taking protective measures at the opened parts of the main branches to prevent splitting.

2. How can fresh jujubes increase yield?

In addition to pruning methods to promote increased yield in jujube trees, water and fertilizer management and flowering period management are also key points that require great attention.

Water and fertilizer management is the foundational measure for ensuring increased tree growth and guaranteeing yield. It includes base fertilizer and topdressing, as well as timely irrigation.

(1) Irrigation: Begin river irrigation for sprouting water on April 10, with 180 cubic meters of water per mu. For jujube trees using drip irrigation, lay double pipes. During the growth period, drip water 6-7 times, with no less than 50 cubic meters per mu each time, at intervals of 12-15 days. In mid-August, control water and stop fertilizer. Because the winter water time in our area is relatively late, it can be moved up to early October using well irrigation.

(2) Fertilization: Fertilization is an important measure in the comprehensive management of jujube orchards. To ensure early high yield of red jujubes, jujube trees must, on the basis of applying sufficient base fertilizer, be topdressed in stages according to the nutrient needs of the jujube trees during the growth period.

(3) Flower and fruit period management

At the end of full bloom (when shaking the branches causes flowers to fall), spray the leaves with 0.2% urea + 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate + gibberellin 15 ppm (that is, 1 g of 75% gibberellin mixed with 50 kg of water), spraying 2-3 times, which can increase the fruit-setting rate by 1-2 times. The trace element boron plays an important role in flowering and fruit setting of jujube trees. Spraying 3000-fold liquid borax or boric acid during the flowering period can increase the fruit-setting rate by 20%. For jujube orchards with poor fruit setting in the early stage, spray pollination agent once more, and spray foliar fertilizer once every 10-15 days, using 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate + 1000-fold liquid agricultural amino acids.