How to judge the best harvest time for apples? Practical methods for you
Branch bending means using "branch clips" to bend branches in different directions so that they grow in the direction desired by the grower. Branch bending is basically a winter pruning technique, and it is an effective measure for flexibly reshaping and utilizing upright branches, vigorous branches, competing branches, parallel branches, overlapping branches and densely growing branches, and is especially suitable for young apple...
Under normal climatic conditions, apple fruit generally has a relatively stable growth and development period. Early-maturing varieties usually mature 60-100 days after full bloom, mid-maturing varieties 100-140 days, mid-late-maturing varieties 140-160 days, and late-maturing varieties 160-190 days. To help fruit growers correctly understand this and harvest at the right time, the following is introduced:1. Peel color: In most apple varieties, the peel color undergoes regular changes during development, that is, the ground color of the peel gradually changes from dark to light green or yellow. Some colored varieties often color early, but the ground color of the peel is still green. Only when the ground color of the peel changes from green to yellow is it a sign that the fruit is ripe.
2. Fruit stalk: When the fruit is truly ripe, an abscission layer forms between the base of the fruit stalk and the fruiting branch, and the fruit will fall off under only a slight external force.
3. Seed color: During fruit development, the seeds follow a pattern of gradually browning. Cut the fruit open; if the seeds have turned brown, it means the fruit is already ripe.
4. Fruit firmness: As the fruit ripens, the flesh becomes softer, the sugar content increases, and firmness gradually decreases. When the fruit is ripe, firmness is relatively stable.
5. The climate of the year and market supply and demand: If there are natural disasters, manpower should be organized to harvest early as appropriate. According to market conditions, in order to obtain better economic benefits, harvesting may be done appropriately earlier or later.
6. If bagging was used, after removing the fruit bags, carry out color-promoting measures such as turning the fruit, removing leaves, and laying reflective film so that the fruit color becomes fully colored pink, and then it can be picked. This is the best picking period for commercial color; over-coloring is instead unwelcome in the market.