What to Do About Bayberry Fruit Drop? Sharing the Latest Prevention Methods
Bayberry (waxberry) is a fruit that many people enjoy eating very much, and it has a very large market demand in our country. Bayberry not only has a huge market now, but its market price also only rises and never falls each year. However, when growing bayberry, the plants often experience fruit drop, causing a serious decline in yield. So what are the main causes of bayberry fruit drop? How can it be prevented? Let's take a look together below!
I. Causes of Fruit Drop
1. Branch Growth Conditions
The branch growth conditions of the bayberry tree are directly linked to its flowering and fruit set. After the bayberry tree enters the flowering stage, the spring shoots begin to grow, and their growth vigor is also relatively strong. At this time, the growth direction of the bayberry tree is in a state where reproductive and vegetative growth coexist. If this is not handled in time, the new shoots that grow will compete for the nutrients of the flowers and young fruit. This leads to insufficient nutrients for flower and fruit growth, causing a large amount of flower and fruit drop. So the more spring shoots grow, the lower the fruit-setting rate will be, and in severe cases it can cause all the fruit to drop.
2. Bayberry Variety
There are now very many bayberry varieties in our country, and different varieties naturally have different growth characteristics. Naturally, there are also some cases where flower and fruit drop is caused by variety-related reasons. Moreover, the growth vigor of the bayberry tree is also closely related to its flowering and fruit set. For example, if a young bayberry tree has strong growth vigor, then due to growth demands, it will compete for the nutrients needed for the development of bayberry flowers and fruit, and its fruit-setting rate will naturally be much lower than that of a mature tree. In addition, when the bayberry tree's growth vigor is too weak due to factors such as poor management, pests and diseases, and weather, flower and fruit drop will also occur.
II. Prevention and Control Methods
1. Pay Attention to Rain Shelter
The ripening period of bayberry generally falls during the summer heavy rain season. At this time, high temperature and high humidity can easily lead to fruit drop, so if we start doing a good job of rain sheltering about two weeks before harvest, it can effectively reduce fruit drop. When sheltering bayberry from rain, choose a reasonable film-covering method according to your own conditions; there are several types, such as trellis film covering, simple film umbrellas, and direct covering. After covering with film, be careful to secure the film to prevent it from being blown away by the wind. Also, keep a certain distance between the top and middle branches, leaves, and fruit of the canopy to improve air and light penetration through the tree and avoid sunscald.
2. Harvest in Time
Timely harvesting can effectively prevent some ripe and unripe bayberries from dropping. Based on past growing experience, if fruit drop is relatively severe, then we can appropriately harvest earlier. Usually, the ripening time and harvest period of bayberry differ depending on the growing region. If the ripening time of the same bayberry tree is uneven, then it should be harvested in batches, and harvesting should be done promptly once ripe. Finally, for some varieties with severe fruit drop, appropriately spray some fruit-drop-prevention hormone, but be careful to control the dosage to avoid causing phytotoxicity.
The above is a brief introduction to how to prevent bayberry fruit drop. There are many causes of bayberry fruit drop, but some of them are caused by our improper management, so everyone must pay close attention. That's all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!