Mulberry Harvest Time and Methods to Extend the Harvest Period
Mulberry is the fruit of the mulberry tree. Generally, the fruiting rate is relatively low, and the harvest period is short, making it difficult to transport. Therefore, the price is a bit expensive. But in order to create benefits, many people adopt methods to extend the harvest period to increase yield. So when are mulberries harvested? How to extend the harvest period?
The harvest period of mulberry is short, generally from late April to early May, and the mulberry fruit is not easy to preserve and transport after harvesting.
Methods to extend the mulberry harvest period:
1. Planting: Select strong, uniform, disease-free mulberry seedlings, plant them in planting holes, firm the soil after planting, and water to settle the roots.
2. Shaping and pruning
(1) After planting, when new shoots grow to 5 cm, pinch off the growing tip to promote axillary bud germination, and retain 3 healthy axillary buds growing in directions 120° apart to form branches. After pinching, when the new shoots grow to 20 cm, pinch off the shoot tips to break the shoots, promoting axillary bud germination, and retain 3 healthy axillary buds growing in directions 120° apart to form branches.
(2) Starting from the 2nd year after planting, in late June each year, cut the branches from the base to make them regrow new buds. When the new buds grow 6 leaves, retain 4 healthy new buds with good growing positions on each branch to grow and form fruiting mother branches, and remove excess new buds.
(3) Starting from the 2nd year after planting, in late December each year, prune weak branches, diseased and pest-infested branches, overly dense branches, and side-lying branches.
3. Fruit period management
(1) During the young fruit stage of the mulberry, perform girdling at the base of the fruiting mother branches that account for 1/3 of each mulberry plant, and apply the first growth regulator to the girdling wound and wrap it.
(2) During the growth stage of the mulberry, perform girdling at the base of the fruiting mother branches that account for 1/2 of the non-girdled fruiting mother branches of each mulberry plant. After girdling, spray the whole plant once with the second growth regulator.