What to Do About Low Apple Fruit Set? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Methods for Improving It
The apple is presumably a fruit that many people enjoy eating very much, and apples are extremely rich in nutrients. It is also a fruit with a very wide planting area in our country. However, many people find when growing them that the fruit set rate of apple trees is not very high, and their yield is not very ideal either. So how should we improve the fruit set rate of apples when growing them? Let's take a look together below!
1. Fertilizer and Water Management
In the later stages of apple cultivation, fertilizer and water management should be done well to improve the quality of the apple tree's flower buds. This is because the fruit set rate of apple trees is closely related to the quality of their flower buds. And when apple tree flower buds form, they are also closely tied to nutrition. So if we want to improve flower bud quality, we need to maintain a certain level of nutrition in the early stages of planting. In autumn and winter, apply sufficient base fertilizer to help the apple trees overwinter, then water appropriately to prevent leaf senescence and extend the time leaves can carry out photosynthesis. Increase the accumulation of nutrients in the tree, improve flower bud quality, and promote apple fruit set.
2. Flower and Fruit Thinning
Flower and fruit thinning is also very important when growing apple trees. This is because an apple tree's carrying capacity is limited; if the number of flowers and fruits exceeds what the apple tree can bear, it will consume too many nutrients and worsen flower and fruit drop. Therefore, when the apple tree's flower clusters are separating, we need to carry out flower thinning, keeping the spacing between each flower cluster at about 22 cm. Remove weak flowers, terminal flowers and other such flowers, keeping only the central flower. And for fruit retention, carry out similar fruit retention work; the timing must not be too late, otherwise the effect of flower and fruit thinning will be lost.
3. Artificial Pollination
⟦NL>Because the natural pollination of apple trees is not very stable, and the success rate is not very high either. Therefore, when growing them we should also carry out appropriate artificial pollination work. Artificial pollination is generally done on sunny days, preferably within the second day after the apple tree blooms. This is because at this time the stigma has strong pollination ability and the success rate is relatively high. Usually a brush is used for the pollination work, starting pollination when the central flower of the apple tree opens. When pollinating, be meticulous and careful; for trees with a large number of flowers, you can control the spacing and pollinate at intervals. Reasonably adjust the pollination method according to the apple tree's growth conditions, flower distribution and so on.4. Pest and Disease Control
Apple trees have a great many pests and diseases. Those that harm apple tree flowers and leaves include blossom blight, scarab beetles and so on. These will seriously affect the fruit set of apple trees, causing their fruit set rate to decline. Therefore we must do a good job of pest and disease control, frequently observing their growth conditions, so that pests and diseases are discovered and treated early. When abnormalities are found, promptly check the specific pests or diseases, then carry out targeted control. Avoid the spread of the disease, expand the affected area, promote the growth of the apple tree, and improve the fruit set rate.
⟦NL>The above is a brief introduction to how to improve the apple fruit set rate. In fact, there are also methods such as placing bees during the flowering period and pruning, all of which can effectively improve the fruit set rate and ensure planting benefits, so we should also strengthen management, do the basic work well, and protect our own planting benefits. That is all for today's introduction; this article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!