Pomegranate Fruit-Swelling Stage Management Methods and Key Technical Points
Everyone has probably eaten pomegranates, right? This fruit is quite special, as it contains a great many small berries inside, and it is mainly these berries that are eaten. Pomegranates grow mainly in tropical regions, and there is also a considerable area of cultivation in our country. Growing pomegranates requires different management methods at each growth stage, and today the editor will talk about management methods during the pomegranate fruit-swelling stage. Let's take a look together below!
1. Proper Topdressing
The pomegranate fruit-swelling stage is when the fertilizer demand is highest throughout the entire growth period, as fruit swelling requires a large amount of nutrients to enhance fruit sweetness. Proper topdressing can increase the growth rate and quality of the fruit, promote flower bud differentiation, and increase the accumulation of photosynthetic substances in the fruit. When topdressing, it should be based on the specific conditions of the fruit tree, with reasonable topdressing and appropriate spraying of foliar fertilizer to supplement nutrients and ensure successful fruit coloring.
2. Timely Watering
The fruit-swelling stage generally occurs during the high-temperature and drought conditions of summer, when temperatures are too high and water evaporates faster. This stage is also when the fruit grows rapidly and flower buds gradually differentiate, so the demand for water increases. If sufficient water is not supplied, the flower buds will compete with the fruit for water, affecting fruit swelling. When watering, it should be based on soil moisture content to ensure the fruit tree's fruit can effectively absorb water and grow.
3. Intertillage and Weeding
As mentioned earlier, the pomegranate fruit-swelling stage is roughly in summer, and summer is also the season when all kinds of weeds grow rampantly. Weeds will compete with the fruit trees for nutrients and water, causing nutrient deficiency in the fruit trees and affecting fruit swelling. Therefore, we must do a good job of intertillage and weeding in the orchard. Intertillage can not only deal with weeds, but also improve the soil's water- and fertilizer-retention capacity and reduce the rate of water evaporation. The depth of intertillage should not be too deep, to prevent injuring the roots and affecting nutrient absorption and transport.
4. Shaping and Pruning
Shaping and pruning fruit trees is an essential task in the management process. Reasonable pruning can improve the tree's ventilation and light penetration, enhance the tree's photosynthesis, and increase the accumulation of photosynthetic substances in the tree. It can also properly regulate the transport and absorption of nutrients, preventing excessive vegetative growth of branches, which is unfavorable to the growth of the fruit tree and the swelling of the fruit. According to the condition of the fruit tree, use techniques such as pinching and branch pruning for pruning.
5. Disease and Pest Control
Pomegranates have relatively few diseases, and the main threat is greater from insect pests, among which the one causing the greatest harm to pomegranates is the peach fruit borer. The peach fruit borer bores into the fruit to feed, causing phenomena such as rotten fruit and fruit drop, severely reducing yield. We should strengthen orchard management, conduct regular inspections, and handle abnormal situations promptly when discovered. Then spray pesticides according to the symptoms and take response measures for all unexpected situations.
The above five points are the management methods during the pomegranate fruit-swelling stage. Although the editor only mentioned pests and diseases, pomegranates will actually still have some diseases occur. For example, dry rot, brown spot disease, and so on. These diseases will all seriously threaten the growth of the fruit trees. This site has previously published an article specifically introducing common pomegranate diseases, so the editor did not explain them in detail here. Friends who are interested can learn about them!