A Detailed Guide to the Latest Methods of Flower and Fruit Thinning for Plums

Plum trees produce a large number of flowers and have a high fruit-setting rate, but the tree's nutrients are limited. A large number of flowers and fruits will consume a great deal of the plant's nutrients, resulting in a large quantity of fruit but smaller size and poorer quality. Therefore, to obtain high-yield and high-quality fruit, timely flower and fruit thinning is necessary. So how should plum flower and fruit thinning be carried out? Let's take a look.

1. Reasons for Flower and Fruit Thinning

To obtain high-yield and high-quality fruit, flower and fruit thinning must be carried out. Plum trees produce an extremely large number of flowers, 5-10 times the required amount, and the excess flowers will consume a large amount of nutrients, which is detrimental to fruit growth. Fruit growth depends on leaves to supply nutrients, and the number of leaves is determined by the length of the branches. One month after flowering, the tree's nutrients are excessively consumed, the growth of new shoots and branch tips is hindered, the number of leaves decreases, and the synthesis of nutrients decreases, which is detrimental to fruit growth. Therefore, timely thinning of a portion of flowers and fruits, increasing the number of leaves, can promote fruit growth and improve yield and quality.

2. Timing of Flower and Fruit Thinning

Generally, flower thinning is carried out during the flowering period or at the time of flowering, while the timing of fruit thinning is closely related to the plum variety itself, tree age and climate. Varieties with a high fruit-setting rate should be thinned early, whereas those with a low fruit-setting rate should be thinned late; according to tree age, mature fruit-bearing trees should be thinned early, while young trees or trees that have just started bearing fruit should be thinned late. Under normal circumstances, fruit thinning is generally carried out 15-20 days after the flowers fade, when the fruits have grown to the size of a bean, and thinning is completed in one go. Some situations should also be noted during flower and fruit thinning: for varieties susceptible to cold damage, varieties with less pollen, and plants growing in adverse environments, flower thinning should not be carried out, and their fruit thinning should generally be carried out during the second physiological fruit drop, when there is a certain difference in fruit growth, keeping the strong fruits and thinning out the weak ones.

3. Methods of Flower and Fruit Thinning

For flower thinning, remove late-opening flowers, deformed flowers, upward-facing flowers and flowers without branches or leaves, and keep the flowers on the middle and upper parts of the branches and leaves; generally, one third of the flowers should be thinned out. For fruit thinning, remove double fruits, small fruits, deformed fruits and fruits that are too densely grown, and keep fruits according to the branches, generally keeping more fruits on the upper half and fewer on the lower half, so as to control excessive fruit growth and achieve a balanced condition. For plants with stronger tree vigor, more fruits can be kept appropriately, while for weaker tree vigor, fewer fruits should be kept.

The above is an introduction to the methods of flower and fruit thinning for plums. We hope it can help you. For more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.