Sweet Cherry Harvest Time and Post-Harvest Precautions
Sweet cherry is also known as Yingqing fruit, cherry pearl, and chelizi (cherry). When ripe, its color is bright red and it is exquisite and crystal clear, and it has the effects of regulating the middle burner and tonifying qi, and dispelling wind-dampness.So when is the harvest time for sweet cherries? What should be noted after harvest?
When is the harvest time for sweet cherries?
1. The harvest time for sweet cherries is generally about 35 days after full bloom for early-maturing varieties, 40-45 days for mid-maturing varieties, and 50-55 days for late-maturing varieties.
2. The harvest time for sweet cherries varies among different varieties and regions. For example, the harvest time for sweet cherries in Dalian is from early June to the end of the month; the harvest time in Yantai is from May to the end of June.
What should be noted after harvesting sweet cherries?
1. Fertilizer and water management
Fertilizer should be applied promptly after harvesting sweet cherries. Common post-harvest fertilizer application methods include trench application of decomposed human manure and urine, broadcast application of compound fertilizer, and foliar spraying of fertilizer. For large bearing trees, generally 30-50 kg per tree, or 2-3 kg of decomposed soybean cake, or 1 kg of chloride-free nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium multi-element compound fertilizer is applied, and after fertilization the soil should be covered and irrigation carried out promptly.
2. Training and pruning
Summer pruning of sweet cherries should be carried out immediately after harvest. The main technical measures include branch thinning, tip pinching, shoot twisting, and branch bending, using summer pruning to weaken the vigor of competing branches, regulate the ventilation and light transmission level within the canopy, increase the number of fruiting branches and nutrient reserves, prevent the fruiting position from moving outward, and promote flower bud differentiation. Applying callus antiseptic film to pruning wounds can quickly form an antiseptic film, seal the wound, and promote rapid healing. It prevents virus invasion, prevents the spread of decay disease, prevents rainwater contamination, and prevents large wounds from drying and cracking.
3. Branch thinning
This is mainly carried out after harvest. For some bearing trees with a dense canopy and poor ventilation conditions, the main task is to thin out overly dense branches to solve the wind and light conditions within the canopy; for upright, strong, and vigorous branches that seriously affect the wind and light conditions inside the canopy, they should be thinned from the base; for scaffold branches and perennial branches on the outer part of the canopy, they should also be thinned from the base.
4. Pest and disease control
For brown spot shot-hole disease and bacterial shot-hole disease, promptly spray pesticides with corresponding efficacy together with Xin Gao Zhi Mo (new high-fat film), which can increase pesticide efficacy; to prevent gummosis, after harvest, in combination with the control of leaf diseases, the whole orchard should be sprayed with Hu Shu Da Jiang Jun, which can absorb solar ultraviolet rays for disinfection and sterilization, can inhibit the generation and transmission pathways of plant airborne viruses, and improve plant immunity and health index. Sweet cherry pest control: red spiders, white spiders, peach leaf miner moths, and red-necked longhorn beetles are common pests, and corresponding pesticides should be used promptly, sprayed together with Xin Gao Zhi Mo, which can shield pest olfaction, inhibit pathogen replication, reduce their pesticide resistance and the amount of pesticide used, and improve pesticide effectiveness.
Harvesting sweet cherries at the right time has a certain impact on yield, quality, storability, and so on. This is because harvesting too early results in low yield and poor quality; harvesting too late reduces storability and causes overripe fruit drop.