What causes fig fruit drop
The fig is a fruit that combines medicinal value, ornamental value and economic value. It is suitable for cultivation in deep, loose and fertile soil, and it likes warmth and tolerates poor soil. In recent years its market price has gradually risen, market demand has grown larger and larger, and this has attracted many people to grow it. The longer you grow it, the more problems you find, and fruit drop is the most common one. Fruit drop causes fig yields to fall sharply and affects growers' economic interests, so what causes fig fruit drop? Let's take a look!
1. Soil
The fig tree's root system is very well developed and has a strong ability to absorb nutrients, and the reason the fig tree has luxuriant branches and leaves is all due to the ability of its roots. Although its requirements for soil are not very strict and its adaptability is strong, the pH value of the soil still has a certain effect on figs. The fig tree grows best in weakly alkaline or neutral soil, with the most suitable pH value being 7.2-7.5. It is a relatively salt- and alkaline-tolerant fruit tree, and it needs a large amount of calcium during growth. So if the soil is on the acidic side, it will affect the vitality of the tree roots, nutrient absorption will be poor, and flower and fruit drop will occur. Therefore, if the soil is on the acidic side, lime should be mixed into the soil to neutralize it.
2. Water
The fig tree's leaves are dense, large and thick, so it needs more water, and the rate of water evaporation speeds up accordingly, especially when the fruit tree is growing new shoots and the fruit is in the rapid swelling growth stage, when the water requirement grows larger and larger. So if there is a water shortage during growth, especially in the stages just mentioned, and the soil is too dry, it will affect the normal growth and development of the fruit tree, the flesh will become coarse, the fruit will become smaller, and quality will drop. In the end this leads to figs ripening too early, shriveling and dropping.
3. Pests
Pests are generally the main cause of fruit drop damaging fruit trees. For example, nematodes parasitize the roots of the fig tree, gnawing and damaging the young roots, harming the root tissue, causing the roots to form nodules, root rot, difficulty for new roots to survive, and gradual shrinking of the root system. This leads to poor nutrition in the plant, stunted growth, gradual yellowing of leaves, and premature ripening that forms fruit drop. There is also the longhorn beetle; longhorn beetle pests gnaw in crisscrossing patterns under the bark, gradually boring into the xylem and entering the center of the trunk. The diseased tree weakens, does not have enough nutrients, and drops fruit, and the trunk becomes hollow, so a light wind will break it, and in severe cases the whole tree dies.
4. Fertilizer
Many friends apply only a single fertilizer when fertilizing, but this causes the tree to lack other elements, and good growth of a fruit tree requires the even absorption of all elements. Nitrogen deficiency reduces flower bud differentiation in the fruit tree; although the early fruit shape is relatively normal, the fruit becomes smaller, ripens early and has poor quality, and because of nitrogen deficiency the nutrients in the leaves move into the fruit, causing serious fruit drop on the upper branches. Potassium deficiency causes leaf scorch in the fruit tree, the growth rate of the shoots becomes extremely slow or even stops, the roots cannot grow and develop normally, and the nutrient supply is insufficient, which in turn causes fruit drop.
The above are the four causes of fig fruit drop. In fact, in the end it is not only nitrogen and potassium deficiency that cause fruit drop; a lack of some trace elements such as magnesium, calcium and iron will also affect the growth of the fig tree. They cause growth obstacles of varying degrees to the fruit tree and lead to flower and fruit drop. Fruit drop has a huge impact on the final yield, and at the same time it also causes losses of varying degrees to growers' economic interests.