Do not relax vineyard management in autumn and winter; grasp these key measures well

In November to December, as temperatures drop, grape growth begins to enter the dormant period. This is a relatively relaxed period for production management, and many fruit growers tend to neglect field management. Zhang Zongqin, associate professor at the College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, reminds fruit growers that vineyard management still cannot be relaxed during this period, and the following tasks should be carried out promptly:

Collecting planting canes: Those preparing to expand the planting area and build new orchards should do a good job in orchard planning, land preparation and securing planting stock; orchards with seedling production should do a good job in collecting planting canes. The mother trees for collecting canes should be mother trees with excellent and pure varieties, robust growth, good fruiting traits, and no pests or diseases. The collected canes should be mature and have plump buds. After collection, the canes should be labeled promptly and stored properly. Do a good job in winter pruning: The best time for winter pruning of grapes is from when the tree fully enters dormancy to about 20 days before the bleeding period. For greenhouse cultivation, pruning should be completed before mulching.

Applying base fertilizer in autumn: The base fertilizer should be mainly organic fertilizer, and attention should be paid to the reasonable combination of the three elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Generally, apply about 2000 kg of decomposed livestock and poultry manure, 25 kg of compound fertilizer, and 50 kg of superphosphate per mu. At the same time, according to the different nutrient deficiencies of the field, apply other phosphorus and potassium fertilizers and trace element fertilizers. The methods of applying base fertilizer are divided into two types: broadcasting over the whole orchard and trench application. Generally, trellis grapes mostly use whole-orchard broadcasting, spreading the fertilizer and then deep plowing. Trench application can be determined according to tree age, using ring-shaped trenches or strip-shaped trenches. The depth and width of the trenches should be reasonable. After the fertilizer is applied, cover it with soil.

Thoroughly clean the orchard: Remove fallen grape leaves, tendrils, fruit stalks, fallen berries, dead branches and weeds from the orchard and destroy them. If the bark on the trunk is lifting, do a good job in peeling off the old bark to remove pathogens and pests on the trunk and reduce the base number of pest and disease outbreaks the following year. The peeled old bark should be collected and burned. After peeling the old bark, carry out trunk whitewashing throughout the orchard. Use a paste made of lime sulfur mixture and lime to brush the trunks, and spray the whole orchard once with a disinfecting and sterilizing agent to eliminate pests and diseases.