Cultivation Methods and Technical Key Points for Crabapple (Malus prunifolia)
Crabapple looks like an apple, is about the same size as a hawthorn, and is a fruit unique to China. It tastes sweet and sour, is nutritious, and has high medicinal value, making it deeply loved by the public. So, what cultivation methods are there for crabapple? Let's find out together!
1. Plot selection
Plot selection is very important. For planting crabapple, choose a place with convenient transportation and good irrigation conditions. Generally, it is established on gentle slopes, with deep soil layers, relatively fertile soil, slightly saline-alkali land, and plots sheltered from the wind and facing the sun.
2. Sapling selection
The saplings should be high-quality strong seedlings 80-120 cm tall, with well-developed root systems, no damage, and no pests or diseases, and they must also have a quarantine certificate. The sapling roots are required to have more than 4 lateral roots, each more than 15 cm in length, and the saplings should be evenly distributed. The trunk-setting part of the sapling must have more than 8 strong buds, which helps the sapling produce good branches after trunk setting and ensures the survival of grafting. At the same time, check whether the sapling has autumn shoots. Generally, fruit tree saplings with smooth surfaces, few hairs, and no autumn shoots have stronger cold resistance. If the saplings are wrinkled and dehydrated, they should be eliminated in time, and fruit tree saplings with fresh bark color should be selected.
3. Planting density
Planting density is determined by tree size. Large-canopy trees are planted at about 44 trees per mu. When fruit trees are intercropped with crops, wide rows and narrow plants can be used, with planting densities of 2×8 m and 2.5×6 m. Small-canopy trees use a 2×4 m plant-row spacing, planting 83 trees per mu. For fruit-grain intercropping, 2×6 m can be used. Of course, a 3×2 m plant-row spacing can also be used, planting 111 trees per mu, or a 3×4 m plant-row spacing can be used, with about 56 trees planted per mu.
4. Arrangement of pollinizer trees
Pollinizer trees should be selected to suit the local environment, with good varieties, high fruit-setting rates, the ability to enter the flowering period at the same time as the main planted varieties, and a certain economic value. Generally, one row of pollinizer trees is arranged every 3-4 rows of the main planted variety, with a planting ratio of 2:1.
5. Land preparation and planting
First, dig round pits 90 cm in diameter, press straw and topsoil mixed with fertilizer into the bottom of the pits and backfill. Apply 50-100 kg of manure, 1 kg of superphosphate, and 0.1 kg of black alum to each pit. Spring planting should be completed in April. After planting, water with settling water. Autumn planting should be completed before September. The planting depth should be such that the graft union of the rootstock is level with the ground. After planting, set the trunk at 60-80 cm or 80-100 cm. At the same time, choose different tree shapes according to different planting densities. For 3×5 m, use the “small canopy delayed-open center shape”; for 2×4 m, use the “free spindle shape”; for 2×8-9 m, 2.5×6 m, and 2×8 m, use the “three main branches at the base with a central leader cylindrical shape.”
6. Management methods
From the second year after planting, in spring, summer, and autumn, dig pits around the trees, press straw and green manure into the pits, add farmyard manure, and replace soil, with a depth of 80-100 cm. In autumn, add one application of high-quality farmyard manure as base fertilizer in the orchard. For 2-3-year-old trees, apply 30 kg per tree; for 4-5-year-old trees, apply 50 kg per tree. Fertilization should be carried out together with watering. The amount of fertilizer applied should be increased or decreased as appropriate according to soil fertility and tree age. Shallow trench fertilization or hole fertilization can be used. After the new shoot leaves unfold, spray the leaves once with a 0.3% urea aqueous solution. The spraying time is preferably after 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. When the soil water-holding capacity of the orchard is below 50%, irrigate in time. There is a lot of rain from July to September, so irrigation should be decided according to rainfall, and measures to drain accumulated water during the rainy season should also be taken.
7. Pest and disease control
Common pests and diseases include tent caterpillars, yellow stinging nettle caterpillars, apple ermine moths, leafhoppers, and so on. The specific pest control measures are as follows: before adults lay eggs, whitewash young trees, which can both prevent pests from laying eggs and prevent freeze damage; when adults and nymphs are present before the morning dew dries, manually net and capture the pests; before hatching, use wooden sticks to press the egg marks and kill overwintering eggs; using the phototaxis of pests, use lights in the orchard to trap and kill pests; raise natural enemies of pests, for example, raising chickens in the orchard; strengthen orchard management, carefully select suitable intercrops, and improve pest resistance; use chemical control, with commonly used agents including 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate 1000—15000-fold solution, 90% trichlorfon, 90% dichlorvos 1000-fold solution, or decamethrin 1000—1500-fold solution.
The above is a detailed introduction to crabapple cultivation methods. I hope it can help you!