What causes small apples? Latest analysis
Apples are a fruit that many people love very much, and they are grown in every part of our country. Because apples have extremely high nutritional value, they can supplement the body's nutrition, promote digestion, and so on, so the planting area in our country is also very large. When growing apples, small fruit is very common. This can seriously affect the quality and profitability of the apples. So what causes small apples? Let's take a look below!
1. Too many fruits left on the tree
When growing apples, no attention was paid to thinning flowers and fruits, and the load on the apple tree was not properly controlled. The leaf-to-fruit ratio was also not managed well, causing the apple tree to bear too much fruit. And because the apple tree itself has limited nutrients to begin with, it cannot satisfy the growth and development of all the fruits. As a result, the fruits become smaller due to insufficient nutrition. The more fruits are left, the more dispersed the nutrients become, affecting the speed of cell division. Therefore, small fruit naturally occurs. So excess flowers and fruits should be thinned in time to avoid excessive nutrient consumption and to improve the size, color and sugar content of the fruit.
2. Environmental factors
Every year in July and August, the weather is very unfavorable for apple growth. July is the height of sunny weather, with high temperatures and drought. If this is not dealt with in time, the fruits will stop growing. And August is rainy; without drainage, waterlogging is likely, and the roots will carry out anaerobic respiration. This affects the apple tree roots' absorption of nutrients and water. The fruits will also become smaller due to lack of nutrients and water. Therefore, in these two months, we must both do a good job of watering to prevent drought and drain water in time, and fertilize reasonably, which can effectively make up for the problem of small fruit.
3. Improper pruning
Pruning apple trees is very important, and many orchards have problems such as leaving too many branches and an unbalanced tree structure that causes the orchard to become closed and shaded. Poor ventilation and insufficient light cause the apple tree to be strong on top and weak below, and the fruiting position also shifts outward as a result, which in turn causes the fruits on the lower branches of the tree to be too small. In addition, when developing fruiting branch groups, do not simply prune lightly and leave them to grow long. Otherwise, the distance for nutrient transport will be too long and consumption too great, thus affecting fruiting. So when pruning, we must pay attention to balancing the growth vigor of each main branch among the plants, ensuring balanced yield and making management easier.
4. Insufficient nutrition
The amount of nutrients stored in the tree body is the key to fruit size. If fertilizer is not applied in time, or is applied insufficiently, or the nutrient ratio is improper, then it will affect the nutrient accumulation of the apple tree, which is also a common problem in many orchards. Some fruit growers want to leave more fruits while not wanting to invest too much, which leads to common nutrient deficiency in apple trees, overly weak tree vigor, and small apples. When fertilizing, chemical fertilizers should also not be applied for a long time, especially high-nitrogen fertilizers, which can easily cause branches to grow excessively and thus affect apple expansion, causing the apples to be small and green.
The above is a brief introduction to what causes small apples. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!