What are the precautions for girdling cherry trees? A detailed explanation of the latest key points
Girdling a cherry tree can promote flower bud differentiation, improve the fruit set rate of flowers and fruits as well as fruit quality, and at the same time has a clear effect on increasing yield. However, if the timing and method of girdling are improper, it will cause gummosis in the cherry tree, leading to weakened tree vigor or death, so it must be done with caution. Below, let's take a look with the editor at the precautions for girdling cherry trees.
1. Girdling time
The timing of girdling must be well controlled. Girdling too early will affect the normal growth of new shoots, while girdling too late makes the wound extremely difficult to heal and highly prone to infection by pests and diseases, causing branches to die. In addition, girdling too early or too late both produce poor flower promotion results. The best time for girdling is about half a month after flowering, when most of the planted leaves can already carry out photosynthesis and can synthesize nutrients through the leaves to supply fruit growth. This can both improve the fruit set rate and fruit quality and promote rapid wound healing. Another time is from after fruit harvest to July, when girdling can control excessive vegetative growth and also promote flower bud differentiation.
2. Girdling targets
The targets for girdling cherry trees should be the main branches or secondary branches of vigorously growing plants. In production, generally only the main branches and secondary branches are girdled, not the trunk, so as to prevent the plant from dying due to lack of nutrients and water. For girdling, the girdling amount on the main branches and secondary branches of the same plant should be controlled at about one third, so as to avoid the branches dying from lack of nutrition, and girdling is not suitable for plants with weaker tree vigor.
3. Girdling method
The width of the girdle is generally one tenth of the branch diameter. Girdling should be carried out at a smooth part of the trunk. The girdling requires the wound to be smooth, and the width may be uneven. In this way, during wound healing, the narrow part can heal first, avoiding leaf color fading and weakened tree vigor. When girdling, be careful not to touch the exposed xylem. After girdling, bandage it promptly to avoid bacterial infection; a wound healing agent can also be applied to speed up wound healing.
4. Management after girdling
After girdling, strengthen fertilizer and water management for the plant to enhance tree vigor, so as to avoid weakened tree vigor. At the same time, do a good job in pest and disease prevention and control to avoid pathogen invasion. Pay attention to drainage measures during the rainy season, and do not apply fungicides near the wound, as this may make the wound difficult to heal and even cause the wound to rot. After the wound heals, remove the bandage promptly.
The above is an introduction to the precautions for girdling cherry trees. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.