Cherry post-harvest management methods and key points of summer pruning techniques
Pinching new shoots: To promote flower bud differentiation and prevent excessive vegetative growth, the method of pinching new shoots should be adopted for control. That is, pinch the new shoots that have not stopped growing, and the pinching position is generally bounded by the half-leaf point; after pinching, growth stops for 10-15 days and then secondary shoots emerge, and when they grow to 15-20 cm, a second pinching is carried out,...
Pinching new shoots
To promote flower bud differentiation and prevent excessive vegetative growth, the method of pinching new shoots should be adopted for control. That is, pinch the new shoots that have not stopped growing, and the pinching position is generally bounded by the half-leaf point; after pinching, growth stops for 10-15 days and then secondary shoots emerge, and when they grow to 15-20 cm, a second pinching is carried out, with the position still bounded by the half-leaf point.
Branch bending
After cherry harvest, large branches with a small angle on the primary branches can be bent so that their angle with the main branch forms an included angle of 70-80 degrees. This can improve the ventilation and light transmission of the tree canopy, and at the same time moderate the growth vigor, which is very beneficial to flower bud differentiation. Note that before bending, a protective pad should be placed at the binding point to avoid pulling and damaging the bark of the large branch.
Large branch pruning
Too many large branches and a closed tree canopy are one of the important reasons for weakened cherry tree vigor, reduced resistance, and the occurrence of pests and diseases. Moreover, the younger the age of cherry branches, the stronger the resistance. Carrying out a certain amount of large branch pruning can improve the overall stress resistance of cherries. At the same time, through pruning, excessive flower buds are reduced, ensuring larger fruit size the following year.
The removal of large branches should grasp the following aspects:
First, large branch pruning should be carried out from top to bottom, and one should not rush. Summer pruning removes about 15%-20% of the total large branches each year, removing them year by year according to the tree condition. Generally, completing one round of pruning in 3-4 years is appropriate. Maintain an overall tree shape with relatively sparse upper main branches and relatively dense lower main branches.
Second, it should be carried out according to the length of the fruiting branches. The longer the fruiting branch, the earlier it should be removed, to promote the retraction of fruiting branches and make the tree shape compact.
Third, selective removal should be based on the growth amount of new shoots. Those with small new shoot growth should be removed first.
Fourth, mastery of the removal time. Removal of large branches can generally be carried out from after harvest to mid-July. In some cases, it can even be carried out during the fruit harvest period, such as combining cherry picking with top removal, sawing off overly long top branches together with fruit, and harvesting the fruit after they fall. In addition, sawing large branches should generally avoid periods of heavy rainfall to prevent gummosis.
Note that when removing large branches, a certain length of stub should generally be left at the pruning site to promote wound healing and prevent excessive retraction of fruiting branches.