What are the misunderstandings fruit growers have in apple orchard management?
Summer has arrived, and the weather has reached the hottest season of the year. In summer, it is hot one moment and rainy the next. These weather changes also increase the difficulty of orchard management, but in fact many people have many misunderstandings when managing apple trees. So what exactly are these misunderstandings? How should they be corrected? Below I have listed a few of the most common misunderstandings for everyone's reference.
1. Not watering during drought
Every year when June arrives, many places experience drought and water shortages, and this situation lasts for about a month. But June is exactly when apple trees are forming flower buds and their young fruit are swelling, and it is also the period when fruit trees urgently need large amounts of fertilizer and water. However, many growers are afraid that watering will damage the flower buds. In fact, this is wrong, because watering at this time not only helps flower bud differentiation, but also reduces the phenomenon of apple fruit cracking, achieving two benefits at once.
2. Single fertilizer
Apple trees need comprehensive fertilization during their growth process. If only a single fertilizer is applied, whether it is phosphate fertilizer, potassium fertilizer or other chemical fertilizers, this is extremely unfavorable to the development of apple trees. In spring, when the beginning of summer is approaching, more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be applied and less nitrogen fertilizer, and it should also be combined with some foliar fertilizer containing trace elements. The nutrients needed by apple trees during growth and development must be satisfied.
3. Concentrated fertilization
Many fruit growers apply fertilizer in only one spot on the tree, but this prevents the apple tree from absorbing nutrients evenly and instead restricts the tree's development. Fertilization should be done by digging trenches and pits according to the arrangement of the trees and applying the fertilizer in concentrated strips. This fertilization method is suitable when the apple trees are still small. But once they reach the fruiting stage, fertilization should be carried out according to the condition of the trees.
4. Fertilizer problems
Many friends apply fertilizer according to their own mood: they fertilize whenever they have free time, and fertilize whenever they have money to buy fertilizer. But the best time to fertilize apple trees in summer is around June 1. Moreover, many people pour undecomposed farmyard manure directly into the orchard. This not only fails to promote growth, but also causes root burn in apple trees.
5. Bagging time
Nowadays, in pursuit of high quality and early, abundant production, many people put a bag on each apple. But the timing of bagging also matters. Bagging too early will affect the development of young fruit, while bagging too late will cause poor degreening of the apple surface and poor coloring. The bagging time should be based on when you plan to harvest and sell the fruit. Early-maturing varieties should begin bagging about 3 months before harvest, and mid-to-late-maturing varieties should begin bagging before 3.5-4 months.
The above are the most common misunderstandings among many fruit growers, but they are not limited to these, such as bagging quality and quantity, disease treatment, and so on. There are also many problems that are relatively serious issues in fruit growers' management, and the editor has not listed them all one by one. Correct management methods are the prerequisite for excellent harvests and abundant yields, and I hope everyone will pay more attention.