How to grow loquat trees for high yield? Key planting techniques explained
How to grow loquat trees for high yield? What kind of management is needed? Loquat fruit ripens in early summer during the off-season for fruit supply. Planting improved large-fruited loquat varieties can bear fruit and come into production in 2-3 years, with yields of around 1500 kg per mu during peak season and income exceeding 10,000 yuan. 1. Suitable site and good varieties According to market demand for improved large-fruited loquat and...
How to grow loquat trees for high yield? What kind of management is needed?
Loquat fruit ripens in early summer during the off-season for fruit supply. Planting improved large-fruited loquat varieties can bear fruit and come into production in 2-3 years, with yields of around 1500 kg per mu during peak season and income exceeding 10,000 yuan.
1. Suitable site and good varieties
According to market demand for improved large-fruited loquat and local planting environment conditions, select early-maturing red-fleshed large-fruited loquat with large fruit, sweet taste, high quality and high yield. There are Mori Wase loquat ripening in late April and Da Wu Xing, Longquan No. 1, Jiefangzhong and other improved varieties ripening in early to mid-May.
2. Orchard establishment and planting
Choose flat land or gentle slopes with convenient transportation and deep soil for contiguous orchard establishment. First, within the orchard, mark out planting points according to conventional 4X3 m or planned close planting 3X2 m row and plant spacing, dig deep (or blast the bottom layer) to form planting trenches about 1 m wide and 0.8 m deep or planting pits 1 m square, apply 10,000 kg per mu of decomposed organic fertilizer such as garbage and weeds, and backfill it into the trenches (pits) mixed with soil in layers. Second, plant seedlings after rain in autumn (September-October) or spring (February-March). Generally plant 50-60 trees per mu, or about 100 trees per mu for planned close planting. When planting loquat seedlings, grade them by size and transplant with root balls, and water thoroughly to settle the roots, which helps survival.
3. Rational fertilization
Within 3 years after planting, loquat seedlings are in the young tree tending period, mainly focusing on vegetative growth to expand the canopy. In fertilization, follow "light fertilizer applied frequently, promote early and control late." Each year before and after the emergence of spring shoots, summer shoots and autumn shoots, apply one shoot-promoting fertilizer and one shoot-strengthening fertilizer each time, for a total of 6-8 fertilizer applications per year. Each time apply 5-10 kg of decomposed human, livestock and poultry liquid manure per tree, mixed with 5?100 g of urea. For loquat orchards after fruiting, apply fertilizer 3-4 times per year, with heavy application of base fertilizer after fruit harvest in May-June, digging pits around each tree and applying 30-40 kg of decomposed human, livestock and poultry liquid manure deeply, mixed with 1-2 kg of oil cake (rapeseed cake) fertilizer and 1 kg of superphosphate; apply pre-flowering fertilizer in September-October, spring fertilizer in February-March and fruit-strengthening fertilizer in April at the right time.
4. Training and pruning
According to the characteristics of loquat, which easily sprouts auxiliary branches and has an obvious central trunk and layer structure, adopt the trunk layered shape for the canopy. The method is: after planting strong loquat seedlings, cut the top of the trunk at about 50 cm above ground to set the trunk height; when buds sprout in spring, select and keep 1 strong upward-growing bud and 4-5 lateral buds in different directions, and cultivate them into the central trunk and several main branches. Use pulling, propping, hanging and other methods to open the angle of the main branches so they grow obliquely (or horizontally), forming the first layer of branches. Follow this method to cultivate the second and third layers of branches, then cut off the top of the central trunk above the third layer to open the center, and control tree height at about 3 m. For loquat orchards after fruiting, summer pruning can be carried out in May-June after fruit harvest and pruning before bud break in early spring. Mainly thin out overly dense branches, bare branches and diseased central insect branches Sichuan cheng suo and shorten perennial declining branches and large shading branches to renew and rejuvenate tree vigor. In addition, in July-August of the first year when 4-year-old young loquat trees try to flower and fruit, adopt methods such as controlling nitrogen fertilizer, controlling water and shaping and spreading branches to promote earlier flowering and fruiting.
5. Flower and fruit management
After loquat enters the fruiting period, it flowers abundantly, so flower and fruit thinning should be carried out. In October before flowering, for trees with many flowers, cut off all weak flower branches, early flowers and diseased and insect-damaged flowers; for ordinary trees, thinning about 50% of the whole tree's flowers and fruits is appropriate. Fruit thinning is generally carried out in mid-March during the young fruit stage, first removing frost-damaged fruit, deformed fruit and diseased and insect-damaged fruit, then thinning overly dense small fruits. Generally for large-fruited varieties, keep 2-3 fruits per cluster, and for small-fruited varieties, keep 4-5 fruits per cluster. After fruit thinning, use old newspapers, kraft paper and other materials to make bags and bag the fruit, which can improve fruit quality.
6. Pest control
During the loquat seedling stage, from March to September each year, focus on controlling aphids, pear fruit borers and peach fruit borers that damage terminal buds, branches and leaves. For adult loquat orchards, on the basis of whitewashing the trunks in winter and burning diseased and insect-damaged branches, during the new shoot emergence and flowering and fruiting periods, spray the canopy with Bordeaux mixture (1:160) or 50% thiophanate, or 65% zineb, plus 5% decamethrin, 20% fenpropathrin or fenitrothion emulsion, which can effectively control loquat leaf spot disease, anthracnose, yellow hairy caterpillars, pear fruit borers, peach fruit borers and many other diseases and pests.
7. Timely harvest
Loquat has no post-ripening property, so for fresh eating it must be harvested in batches when the fruit is fully ripe, selecting ripe fruit and leaving green ones, and handled gently. For fresh fruit sold out of the region or transported long distances, it can be harvested at 80-90% ripeness.
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