A Roundup of Common Mistakes in Summer Pruning of Kiwifruit
When growing kiwifruit, pruning is an essential task, especially after summer arrives, when proper summer pruning can effectively improve the yield and quality of kiwifruit. However, many growers do not have a correct pruning method, causing the growth of kiwifruit to be affected to a greater or lesser extent, and there are also many mistakes involved. So today, the editor will introduce the common mistakes in summer pruning of kiwifruit. Let's take a look!
1. Pruning too heavily
Pruning mainly has a relatively large impact on male trees. When many fruit growers prune male trees, they cut off 4/5 of the canopy after the male trees bloom. Moreover, they not only reduce the canopy but also hollow out the fruit trees, causing the vigor of the male trees to drop sharply, and in severe cases they may even die. Even if they survive, the quality of the pollen provided by the trees is very low. Therefore, when pruning male trees, we should at most prune only ordinary branches and shoots, and mainly use reduction pruning, cutting out some weak-growing branches in the inner canopy to improve air and light penetration and prevent them from tangling with each other.
2. Cutting off all vegetative branches
Many growers think when planting that if vegetative branches do not bear fruit, they only consume more nutrients and must be cut off in time. This is especially so when phenomena such as uneven fruit size, leaf drop and poor nutrition appear. In fact, the vegetative branches of kiwifruit trees must be kept at a certain proportion on the fruit tree. If a large number of them are pruned, it will have a great impact on the growth of the kiwifruit tree. This is because most vegetative branches are important branches for photosynthesis in kiwifruit trees. We can properly thin out some overly dense branches, but we must also retain a certain number of them, carry out pinching, and simply control their growth rate.
3. Too few mother branches
The main vines and inner-canopy branches of kiwifruit trees are the main objects cultivated for the next year's fruiting branches. During summer pruning, the growth of branches outside the fruit must be controlled, so the inner-canopy branches still need to carry out photosynthesis to ensure the leaf-to-fruit ratio. If during pruning only the reserve fruiting mother branches for the next year are retained, then the leaf number requirement of the fruit tree will definitely not be met, which will have a great impact on photosynthesis and the accumulation of photosynthetic products. Therefore, when retaining fruiting mother branches, we should retain about 35% more fruiting mother branches, so that the leaf area requirement for the canopy to synthesize nutrients can be met.
⟦NL>4. Improper timing of pinching
In order to suppress the vigor of the main vines and some rampant inner-canopy branches, we use pinching during pruning to shift their vigor. Proper pinching can effectively increase the sprouting rate, survival rate and fruit-setting rate of the next year's fruiting mother branches. However, if pinching is done too late, it will hinder the sprouting of secondary branches and have a great impact on the cultivation of reserve branches. Therefore, we should carry out pinching before flowering, and never after flowering; otherwise, the reservation of fruiting mother branches will be affected and the fruiting rate of the next year will be reduced. Then it should also be done reasonably according to the growth vigor of the branches. Pinching can only be used on some rampant branches, and must not be carried out on other branches.
The above is a brief introduction to the common mistakes in summer pruning of kiwifruit. In addition, we also need to note that we must not use the method of removing leaves to prevent wind damage; instead, we should prevent wind damage by tying branches and adjusting the tree structure. Otherwise, it will affect the nutrient supply to the fruit and instead affect the yield, so everyone must pay close attention. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for your reading and support.