Pomegranate Tree Four-Season Pruning Techniques and Best Season Guide

Failing to properly master pomegranate pruning techniques allows some ineffective branches, flower buds, and the like to consume nutrients, affecting the normal swelling and growth of fruit, ultimately causing reduced yield. Therefore, pruning the pomegranate tree is very important during the pomegranate's growth process, so how should it be pruned? In which season is pruning best? Tuliu.com's editor brings you Pomegranate Tree Four-Season Pruning Techniques

I. Winter Pruning

1. Handling of large branches: proceed according to the principle of sparse at the top and dense at the bottom, sparse outside and dense inside, sparse large branches and dense small branches. The three main branches and the lateral branches should maintain a distance of 60-80cm from the central leader and from each other. When the spacing between main and lateral branches is small, the method of thinning out large branches or spreading large branches apart can be used, striving to meet the standard required for large branch spacing above.

2. Handling of small branches: after the spacing between main and lateral branches is widened, use the thinning method to make the distribution of small branches (large and small branch groups) on the tree canopy assume a state of sparse at the top and dense at the bottom, sparse outside and dense inside. The density of small branches in the inner canopy should be slightly denser than the upper and outer parts, required not to exceed 25~30cm, so that small branches do not cross each other, do not overlap each other, and leave remaining space.

3. Handling of fruiting mother branches: during the thinning process, retain as many fruiting mother branches with flower buds as possible, and retain 3~5 vegetative branches around them. If there are too many fruiting mother branches, some small and thin fruiting mother branches can be further thinned out, leaving thick and strong fruiting mother branches with plump flower buds, and making the ratio of fruiting mother branches to vegetative branches roughly 1:5-15 or 1:5-8. If the original tree's branches are too dense and no flower buds have formed or flower buds are too few, at this time pruning is required until small branches do not overlap.

II. Spring Pruning

1. Pruning period

The period from after bud break to before flowering (late April to late May)

2. Key points of pruning techniques

(1) Regulate the ratio of fruiting branches

Thin out excessive small and thin fruiting branches or fruiting mother branches, so that the ratio of fruiting branches to vegetative branches is appropriate

(2) Thinning buds and thinning flowers

From bud emergence to full bloom, remove all bell-shaped flower buds and bell-shaped flowers, leaving tube-shaped flowers and gourd-shaped normal flowers. Tube-shaped flowers are intermediate-type normal flowers, and their fruit-setting rate is not high. If gourd-shaped flowers (true flowers) are sufficient, the tube-shaped flowers should be thinned out together, leaving only gourd-shaped flowers, and finally making the fruiting branches bearing gourd-shaped normal flowers have 3-5 vegetative branches (with more than 100 leaves) around them as appropriate. Pomegranate bud thinning and flower thinning should be carried out 2-3 times

(3) Thinning diseased and pest-infested branches is carried out simultaneously with bud thinning and flower thinning 4. Bud wiping and sprout removal

While thinning buds and flowers, wipe out densely growing tender branches and sprouting branches on the trunk and above and below the main branches, to facilitate ventilation and light penetration and save nutrients.

III. Summer Pruning

1. Pruning period

Mainly carried out in June and July

2. Fruit thinning

In early to mid-June, after the young fruits of the first and second flush of flowers have set well, thin out the small fruit of double fruits; if the whole tree has not set much fruit, then the double fruits can be kept, and they can still grow into large fruits. It is required to keep more first-flush fruits, select and keep second-flush fruits, and remove all third-flush fruits. In addition, remove all diseased fruits, insect-infested fruits, and deformed fruits.

3. Branch thinning

Remove dense, excessively vigorous, diseased and pest-infested branches, and sprouts. It is required that after branch thinning, the light spots (sun shadows) under the tree canopy are evenly distributed on the ground. The light spot area accounting for 10%-15% of the total tree canopy projection area is appropriate

4. Opening the angle: when the main branches grow upright and the spacing between main branches does not reach 80-100cm, the three main branches should be propped open with wooden props or pulled apart with galvanized wire and fixed to the ground with wooden stakes

IV. Autumn Pruning

1. Pruning period: August-October

2. Branch thinning: remove dense, excessively vigorous, diseased and pest-infested sprouting branches and sprouts. It is required that after branch thinning, the light spots (sun shadows) under the tree canopy are evenly distributed on the ground. The light spot area accounting for 10%-15% of the total tree canopy projection area is appropriate.