How to manage chestnut trees during the full bearing period? Analysis of the latest technical key points

The full bearing period of chestnut trees is relatively long. With proper management, they can maintain high yields for decades. However, for chestnut trees in the full bearing period, the quality of management not only affects the yield of the current year and the next year, but also affects the number of years they continue to bear fruit. So how should chestnut trees be managed during the full bearing period? Let's take a look together with the editor.

1. Fertilizer management

Chestnut trees have relatively strong adaptability, so they are generally planted on plots with not very high fertility, such as barren slopes. If you want them to produce high yields year after year, fertilizer must keep up. Otherwise, they are very prone to alternate bearing, which seriously shortens their fruit-bearing life. Generally, in March to April, an appropriate amount of fertilizer should be applied, especially some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, to ensure branch and shoot growth as well as flower bud differentiation. Secondly, in mid-July, it is recommended to apply some green manure. On one hand, it can improve the soil; on the other hand, it can help with long-term effectiveness. During the fruiting period, the expansion of young fruit requires a large amount of nutrients. At this time, supplementary fertilizer can make chestnuts grow larger and mature earlier. The last application is winter fertilizer, applied before winter begins, to ensure the plants overwinter safely. High-quality farmyard manure is preferable.

2. Tree shape management

Chestnut trees are best pruned in winter and summer. If pruning is done in only one of these seasons, the effect is not very good, and it is not easy to prune thoroughly. Generally, summer pruning is done at the end of June, and in some areas it can be postponed to early July; while winter pruning has a broader time window, from November all the way to early March of the following year. During pruning, attention should be paid to tree shape control, and the fruiting branches should be distributed as evenly as possible. Especially for chestnut trees that have borne fruit for many years, it is necessary to prevent the fruiting area from shifting outward. When pruning, more inward shrinkage should be done for yield. In addition, old branches and diseased branches on old trees should be technically removed, which helps prevent disease and improve tree vigor.

3. Flowering and fruiting period management

After entering the flowering period, for orchards where pollination is not very good, manual intervention such as artificial pollination is needed. This can ensure the fruit set rate. After fruit set, fruit thinning can be done appropriately to maintain the tree's load balance. If artificial fruit set is too high and greatly exceeds the plant's load capacity, the fruits will compete with each other for nutrients, causing the fruits to be generally smaller, which is unfavorable for sale. Therefore, branches with too much fruit should be appropriately thinned to help achieve high-quality production.

4. Disease prevention

Chestnut trees are relatively prone to infection by diseases, especially with many pests, which reduces chestnut yields. Chestnuts may also show wormholes, seriously affecting fruit quality. To avoid the impact of this phenomenon, it is recommended that farmers can use targeted pesticide development. Especially in years when pests and diseases are relatively severe, attention should be paid in advance.

The above is an introduction to the key points of chestnut management during the full bearing period. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.