How to Manage Pomegranate During the Fruit Enlargement Stage? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Methods
Everyone has probably eaten pomegranates, right? This fruit is quite special, as it contains numerous small arils inside, which are mainly what we eat. Pomegranates mainly grow in tropical regions, and there is also a considerable planting area in our country. Growing pomegranates requires different management methods at each growth stage, and today the editor will talk about the management methods during the pomegranate fruit enlargement stage. Let's take a look together below!
1. Proper Topdressing
During the pomegranate fruit enlargement stage, the fertilizer requirement is at its highest throughout the entire growth period. Fruit enlargement needs a large amount of nutrients to enhance fruit sweetness. Proper topdressing can increase fruit growth speed and quality, promote flower bud differentiation, and increase the accumulation of photosynthetic substances in the fruit. When topdressing, it depends on the specific condition of the fruit tree, apply fertilizer reasonably, spray foliar fertilizer appropriately to supplement nutrients, and ensure successful fruit coloring.
2. Timely Watering
The enlargement stage generally occurs during the high-temperature and drought period of summer. When temperatures are too high, water evaporation speeds up. Moreover, this stage is when the fruit grows rapidly, and flower buds gradually differentiate, so the water demand increases. If sufficient water is not supplied, flower buds will compete with the fruit for water, affecting fruit enlargement. When watering, it depends on the soil moisture content to ensure the fruit tree and fruit can effectively absorb water and grow.
3. Intertillage and Weeding
As mentioned earlier, the pomegranate enlargement stage is roughly in summer, which is also the season when various weeds grow rampant. Weeds will compete with fruit trees for nutrients and water, causing nutritional deficiencies in the fruit trees and affecting fruit enlargement. Therefore, we must do a good job of intertillage and weeding in the orchard. Intertillage can not only deal with weeds but also improve the soil's water and fertilizer retention, and reduce the water evaporation rate. The depth of intertillage should not be too deep, to prevent root damage that would affect nutrient absorption and transport.
4. Shaping and Pruning
Shaping and pruning fruit trees is a necessary task in the management process. Reasonable pruning can improve the tree's ventilation and light penetration, enhance the tree's photosynthesis, and increase the accumulation of photosynthetic substances in the tree. It can also regulate the transport and absorption of nutrients, prevent excessive branch growth that is unfavorable to tree growth and fruit enlargement. According to the condition of the fruit tree, use techniques such as pinching and branch pruning for trimming.
5. Pest and Disease Control
Pomegranates have fewer diseases, mainly the threat from insect pests is greater, among which the most harmful to pomegranates is the peach fruit borer. The peach fruit borer bores into the fruit, causing rotten fruit and fruit drop, severely reducing yield. We should strengthen orchard management, conduct regular inspections, and handle any abnormal situations promptly. Then spray pesticides according to the symptoms, and prepare response measures for all emergencies.
The above five points are the management methods during the pomegranate enlargement stage. Although the editor only mentioned pests, pomegranates can actually also suffer from some diseases. For example, dry rot, brown spot disease, etc., these diseases all seriously threaten the growth of fruit trees. Our website has a previous article specifically introducing common pomegranate diseases, which the editor did not elaborate on here. Friends who are interested can take a look!