The Latest Method of Summer Pruning for Kiwifruit and a Detailed Explanation of Its Benefits

Kiwifruit is a fruit with very high nutritional value and is grown on a very large area in our country. When growing kiwifruit, attention must be paid to good management, especially pruning, and now that summer is gradually arriving, summer pruning work is also particularly important. So what are the benefits of proper summer pruning when we grow kiwifruit? And how should we prune? Below, the editor will give you a brief introduction. Let's take a look together!

1. Benefits of summer pruning

Proper summer pruning of kiwifruit can effectively improve the permeability of the field, promote ventilation and air movement, and increase the flowering and fruiting rate. It prevents leaves in some places that receive uneven light from turning yellow and aging, increases the accumulation within the plant, and enhances the storage and transport capacity of kiwifruit. In addition, proper summer pruning can also effectively reduce excessive nutrient consumption, concentrate nutrients on the fruiting mother branches, increase the rate of normal flowers and the growth capacity of leaves, and prevent leaf drop and flower drop. Finally, it can also effectively prevent the occurrence of pests and diseases, such as leafhoppers, black spot disease, and so on.

2. How to carry out summer pruning

Proper pinching

When growing kiwifruit, we should pay attention to observing its growth. After around July, summer pruning work can begin. This is because this time is the peak growth period of the kiwifruit plant's summer shoots, so they should be properly pinched. This prevents various undesirable phenomena such as tangling and excessive vegetative growth, which disperse nutrients and affect the growth of kiwifruit. It concentrates nutrients on the fruit, promotes fruit development, and improves quality. Then, when the vines become tangled, a second pinching should be carried out, and the timing should be reasonably controlled according to the growth vigor of the kiwifruit tree.

Thinning branches and pruning

While pinching, we should also do a good job of thinning and pruning branches, also around July. First, the targets for branch thinning are the overly long, overly dense, pest-damaged, and other branches on the base and some main vines. Then, we should also deal with crossing and overlapping branches, upright vigorous branches, and thin weak branches, so as to improve the overall growth vigor of the kiwifruit tree, promote the growth of kiwifruit, increase the permeability within the orchard, and ensure that the kiwifruit tree receives uniform light. When thinning branches, note that on the fruiting mother branches, about every 12 cm, one new shoot should be retained, to avoid a decline in growth vigor and thus achieve the opposite of the desired result.

Reasonable fruit thinning

After completing the pinching and branch thinning work in July-August, fruit thinning should begin. The timing should also preferably remain around July-August, and at the latest must not exceed September. During fruit growth, the main targets for fruit thinning are weak and small fruits such as those that are pest-damaged, deformed, sunburned, and overly dense. These fruits have very low commercial value and also consume a large amount of nutrients. Therefore, our goal should be to retain healthy, robust fruits with thick fruit stalks and full, juicy flesh. When thinning fruits, it should be done reasonably according to the growth vigor of the branches. Generally, about 5 are retained on vigorous branches, about 3 on moderate branches, and then one on the others, and the leaf-to-fruit ratio on the tree should be controlled at about four to one.

The above is a brief introduction to the methods and benefits of summer pruning for kiwifruit. The pruning work for kiwifruit is very important. It not only has a great impact on yield, but also determines its quality, so everyone must pay close attention to it. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you all for reading and supporting.