What to Do When Figs Drop Fruit Severely? Here Comes the Latest Solution
During the management of figs, fruit drop occurs from time to time, and some growers find that their figs show severe fruit drop when ripening, seriously affecting their returns. So what causes severe fig fruit drop? Let's take a look.
1. Unsuitable Soil pH
The fig has a relatively developed root system and an extremely strong ability to absorb nutrients; the reason its plants have luxuriant branches and leaves is precisely this root capacity. Although its requirements for soil are not very strict and its adaptability is fairly strong, soil pH still has a certain effect on it. Figs grow best in weakly alkaline or neutral soil, with a suitable pH of 7.2-7..5. It is an alkali-tolerant fruit tree and needs a large amount of calcium during growth. Therefore, if the soil is on the acidic side, it will affect root vigor and nutrient absorption, leading to severe fruit drop. If the soil is on the acidic side, lime can be used to adjust it and neutralize the soil acidity and alkalinity.
2. Water Imbalance
Figs have luxuriant branches and leaves, and their leaves are large and thick, so their demand for water is also relatively high, and the rate of water evaporation is relatively fast, especially when new shoots emerge and the fruit rapidly expands, when their demand for water becomes greater and greater. Therefore, if water is lacking during these periods of the growth stage and the soil is too dry, it will seriously affect the growth and development of the fruit tree, making the flesh become coarse, the fruit small, and yield and quality decline severely, ultimately leading to premature ripening, shriveling and fruit drop.
3. Damage from Diseases and Pests
⟦NL>There are many diseases and pests that cause severe fig fruit drop, such as blight, root-knot nematodes, longhorn beetles, mites and so on. Among them, blight mainly damages fruit, new shoots and leaves, and also infects young buds; root-knot nematodes mainly damage the plant roots, making them nodular, causing rot and swelling, shrinking the root system, and further leading to stunted plants, yellowing leaves and premature fruit drop; longhorn beetles feed crosswise and lengthwise under the plant cortex, then bore into the xylem, deep into the trunk, causing tree decline and fruit drop; mites gather as adult mites and nymphs on the underside of leaves, sucking leaf sap, causing the leaves to lose their function and leading to leaf drop and fruit drop. Prevention and control of diseases and pests should be strengthened. Once diseases and pests are found, timely targeted control should be applied, and their spread should be controlled as much as possible.4. Improper Fertilization
Many growers tend to choose a single fertilizer when fertilizing, which often hinders the root system's absorption and utilization of other nutrients. For example, when nitrogen is deficient, the number of flower-bud differentiations decreases, causing the fruit to ripen early and have good quality, but because nutrients are transferred to the fruit, severe fruit drop occurs. When potassium is deficient, branches and shoots grow excessively, deformed fruit appears, and the root system also shows blackening, peeling and rotting, further leading to fruit drop. Figs also have an extremely large demand for calcium fertilizer, and calcium deficiency can also lead to premature fruit drop. Therefore, fertilization must be reasonable, and sufficient base fertilizer must be applied to provide material conditions for the growth and development of the fruit tree. In fig cultivation, it is divided into early-stage topdressing and late-stage topdressing, that is, fertilizing according to the fertilizer requirements of each growth stage, regulating the contradiction between vegetative growth and reproductive growth, and ensuring high yield and high quality.
The above is an introduction to what to do when figs drop fruit severely. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.