How long does the grape harvesting period last? What should you pay attention to? What are the key management techniques after harvest?
Grape is one of the oldest fruit tree species in the world, also known as putao, caolongzhu, cizi cherry, bodhi seed, and shanhulu. It originated in western Asia and is cultivated all over the world.So how long does the grape harvesting period last? What should you pay attention to? What are the key management techniques after harvest?
How long does the grape harvesting period last?
Generally, grape berries begin to ripen at the end of August and the beginning of September. Harvesting usually starts at this time and can continue into mid-October. A small number of grapes used to make noble rot white wine are harvested as late as November.
What should you pay attention to when harvesting grapes?
1. It is best to harvest in the morning on a sunny day after the dew has dried. Do not harvest in rainy weather or just after rain.
2. Grapes harvested on hot days must be transported to a cool place and spread out to dissipate heat before packaging, otherwise quality and weight will be reduced. 3. The berries have a high water content and thin skins, so when harvesting, handle them gently and pack them shallowly.
4. For table varieties, pick them in stages and batches to ensure the flavor of the fruit.
5. To ensure quality during harvest, hold the cluster stem with one hand or support the cluster with your palm, and with the other hand hold scissors and cut at the base of the fruit stem. 6. For harvested clusters, if there are diseased, insect-damaged, broken, or misshapen berries, trim them off at any time before packing.
7. Each step of grape harvesting, loading and transport, sorting, packaging, and shipping for sale should be done as quickly as possible to maintain the freshness and market quality of the grapes.
What are the key management techniques after grape harvest?
In actual production, many fruit growers often relax grape management after harvest, resulting in poor maturation of the current year's shoots and inhibited root development in autumn, affecting the yield and quality of grapes the following year. Therefore, strengthening late-stage grape management is crucial for high-quality, high-yield, and stable production the following year.
1. Protect autumn leaves. Protecting leaves after harvest and enhancing their photosynthetic capacity plays an important role in increasing the tree's stored nutrients. In the late growth stage, the use of thiram and sulfur-based pesticides should be strictly controlled to prevent premature leaf aging and reduced photosynthetic intensity.
2. Pruning and orchard cleaning. Continue to do shoot pinching and lateral shoot removal, remove tendrils and thin, weak branches and vines, and remove severely diseased leaves to reduce nutrient consumption, regulate the flow of nutrients in the tree, and promote plump and mature buds. Also clear weeds from the orchard, and take the removed diseased shoots, diseased leaves, diseased fruit, dead branches, and debris out of the orchard, then bury them deeply or burn them to reduce sources of pests and diseases.
3. Apply post-harvest fertilizer well. After fruit harvest, when the plant has borne many fruits and the tree vigor is somewhat weak, quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer can be applied to enhance late-stage leaf photosynthesis and restore tree vigor. Apply about 20 kg of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer per mu, or spray 0.3% urea solution on the leaves 2~3 times in succession. If the tree vigor is vigorous, apply less to prevent delayed extension of new shoots and wasteful consumption of large amounts of nutrients. Apply base fertilizer as early as possible after harvest.
4. Apply base fertilizer early. In southern China, the most suitable time to apply base fertilizer is one month after grape harvest. The base fertilizer is mainly organic fertilizer, combined with phosphate fertilizer: apply 3000~5000 kg of organic fertilizer (farmyard manure) and 50 kg of phosphate fertilizer per mu. Because this is the peak period of root growth, wounded roots heal easily. Loosening the soil together with fertilization can cut fine roots and play a role in root pruning, promoting many new roots in the current year so that a large amount of nutrients from the soil can be absorbed in early spring the following year. In autumn, aboveground growth gradually stops while underground growth remains vigorous. The nutrients absorbed are mainly accumulated and stored, which can raise the tree's nutrient storage level, help flower bud differentiation in the current year and enhance overwintering ability, and benefit budding the following year, further flower bud formation, and early growth of new shoots after flowering. Because of the high nutrient level of the tree, flower bud quality is good, which can increase the fruit-setting rate and lay the foundation for a bumper harvest the following year.
5. Loosen the soil to prevent waterlogging and drought. In summer and autumn, orchards are prone to heavy weed growth. After harvest, cultivate and weed in time. This soil cultivation is often carried out together with base fertilizer application. Generally, the plowing depth is about 20 cm, shallower near the trunk and deeper outward. The purpose of loosening the soil can also be achieved by opening fertilizer trenches. When there is a lot of rain, clear the trenches and drain in time. If autumn drought or winter drought occurs, irrigate in time and keep field water-holding capacity no lower than 60% to keep the soil moist.