Key Management Techniques for Apple Trees After Harvest

I. Apply Base Fertilizer Early

After the fruit is harvested, the third peak growth period of the root system arrives, making it a good time to apply base fertilizer. For orchards in full fruit period, the base fertilizer application rate per mu is 4000-5000 kg of farmyard manure, 20 kg of urea, 80 kg of phosphate fertilizer, and 30 kg of potassium fertilizer. At the same time, add an appropriate amount of trace elements according to deficiency conditions. Broadcast over the entire orchard and deep plow about 20-30 cm; for young fruiting orchards, base fertilizer can be applied by digging radial or strip trenches, with the trench depth and width reaching more than 50 cm, and the fertilization rate halved compared with full-fruit orchards.

II. Post-Harvest Pruning

First, remove water sprouts within the canopy, upright tender shoots that sprouted in autumn, sprouts near girdling and ringing cuts, and temporary restraint branches left in summer. Second, cut back slender branches, aged drooping branches, and branches dragging on the ground; thin out weak slender branches, ineffective branches that receive no light at the bottom, and excessively vigorous branches in the middle and upper parts, so as to reduce nutrient consumption, promote branch maturity and plump buds, and help the trees overwinter.

III. Clean Up the Orchard

After harvest, in combination with pruning, cut off all kinds of diseased buds and damaged branches, saw off and scrape off branches and trunks suffering from rot disease, and properly collect them at any time for destruction. Thoroughly clean up residual branches, fallen leaves, and diseased, insect-infested, and rotten fruit in the orchard and bury them deeply. Destroy insect cocoons on branch tips and hiding places for pests in coarse, cracked bark. Thoroughly clean the orchard, eliminate sources of disease and pests, and leave no dead corners, creating a good ecological environment for apple production the following year. Bai Guoli