Spring notching and branch-bending management methods for 1-3 year old young apple trees
How should 1-3 year old young apple trees be notched and branch-bent in spring? Are there any apple growers who can help explain? As prices rise, the economic value of apples has also increased, and many farmers have joined the apple growing boom. Therefore, Zhongdiwang has compiled the spring notching and branch-bending methods for 1-3 year old young apple trees,...
How should 1-3 year old young apple trees be notched and branch-bent in spring? Are there any apple growers who can help explain?As prices rise, the economic value of apples has also increased, and many farmers have joined the apple growing boom. Therefore, Zhongdiwang has compiled the spring notching and branch-bending methods for 1-3 year old young apple trees, listed in detail below for netizens' reference.
Reasons for notching young apple trees:Notching 1-3 year old young apple trees is an important technical measure in spring management. Proper notching can significantly increase the budbreak rate of fruit tree branches, promote the sprouting of dormant buds and the growth of new shoots, and enable young trees to take shape early, bear fruit early, and achieve high yields early.
Method 1: Notching the central leader extension shoot:
This method mainly starts notching from the 4th bud below the pruning cut, notching one bud every three buds, and no notching is done within 20cm of the base.
Method 2: Notching the main branches and main branch extension shoots:
Notch the buds on the underside and lower sides of one-year-old branches to promote the formation of medium and short branches and prevent the lower part of the branch from becoming bare. No notching within 20cm from the central leader and 20cm below the pruning cut.
Method 3: Notching auxiliary branches and vegetative shoots left unpruned on main branches:
For one-year-old branches over 50m in length, except for the buds within the top 20cm and within 20cm from the central leader, all buds are notched. Combined with branch bending, this slows branch vigor, promotes the formation of short fruiting branches and clustered flowering branches, and enables young trees to bear fruit early and achieve high yields early.
Method 4: Notching at positions lacking branches:
This mainly involves selecting short branches or leaf cluster branches at positions on main branches, auxiliary branches and branch groups that lack branches, and notching or eye-scoring above the buds to promote new shoots to fill in the missing branches.
Precautions for notching young apple trees:
Notching apple trees should preferably start in late March and be completed before budbreak in early April. To promote long shoots, notch early; to promote short branches, notch later.
Reasons for bending branches of apple trees:
Because branch bending occupies an important position in the shaping of young apple trees. Through branch bending, the angle and orientation of branches can be changed, the tree's growth vigor can be adjusted, and a good tree structure can be cultivated, so as to achieve the cultivation goals of early fruiting, early high yield, stable yield and high quality.
Densely planted apples are trained in a free spindle shape. The angle of the three base main branches is 70-80 degrees, extending obliquely toward the row spacing and distributed horizontally and evenly; the angle of auxiliary branches is 90 degrees, growing straight and level, inserted in the spaces between two main branches; the upper main branches are inserted between the lower main branches and distributed horizontally and evenly, with an angle of 80-90 degrees.
Branch bending should preferably be carried out when the terminal new shoots have grown to about 10cm. The branches should extend in a straight line to prevent the middle of the branch from being bent into a curve. At the same time, strong main branches should be bent to a large angle, while weak branches should be bent to a small angle or temporarily not bent, and should be bent after their growth becomes balanced with other main branches in summer or autumn. When bending long shoots left unpruned on main branches, the angle should be larger than that of the main branch, growing level or obliquely downward, to ensure balanced overall growth of the young tree and cultivate a good tree structure.
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