Detailed Explanation of the Key Points of Prickly Ash Tree Pruning Techniques

Prickly ash is a very important side ingredient in the south, used most in provinces such as Hunan and Sichuan. Its planting area is also constantly expanding, and management work needs to be done well when planting prickly ash. Among these, pruning is a relatively key task, because prickly ash trees are actually quite large, and if they are not pruned well, this will reduce light penetration and airflow, affecting yield. Now the editor below brings you the pruning techniques for prickly ash trees. Let's take a look together!

1. Pinching

During the growth period of prickly ash trees, pinching should be done well, and the young tender part at the top should be removed in time before the new shoots grow excessively. This is mainly to promote secondary growth of the branches and accelerate the formation of the canopy. Pinching in time in mid-May is beneficial to flower bud differentiation. Then, pinching before the prickly ash tree's physiological fruit drop is beneficial to pollination and fruit setting, and is beneficial to the expansion of prickly ash fruit, promotes growth, and advances the ripening time. It can also inhibit branch growth and ensure robust growth of branch buds.

2. Thinning branches

Thinning branches mainly means removing branches at the base of the prickly ash tree. The main parts to thin are the old, weak, dead, overlapping, and overly long and dense diseased and pest-infested branches on the prickly ash tree. Thinning branches helps reduce nutrient consumption, improve light penetration and airflow, enhance the growth capacity of branches in the inner canopy of the prickly ash tree, and promote photosynthesis and flower bud differentiation. Thinning branches in an on-year can also prevent the prickly ash tree from showing alternate bearing. When thinning larger branches, they should not all be removed at once, to prevent overly large wounds and reduce the vigor of the prickly ash tree. It can also lead to infection, cause various diseases and pests, and make branches grow excessively.

3. Wounding branches

Wounding branches is mainly to reduce the vigor of top branches, promote the growth of lower and inner canopy branches, benefit flower bud differentiation, and increase the rate of flowering and fruiting. In spring, before the prickly ash tree sprouts, use the ring-cutting method above or below the branch or young bud to cut to the phloem. This can effectively block the nutrients and water transported downward, benefit bud growth, and form robust branches. Wounding branches has many methods such as twisting branches and twisting shoots, and the main purpose is to control the downward transport of nutrients, increase the fruit-setting rate, and promote fruit growth.

4. Bending branches

Bending branches is mainly to change the growth direction of horizontal and drooping growing branches, and can reduce the growth speed of top branches. It limits the uniform flow of nutrients and water, prevents overly vigorous branch growth, and reduces the growth amount of top branches. This can ensure that nutrients and water are concentrated on robust fruiting branches, prevent uneven nutrient distribution, and reduce the rate of flowering and fruiting. It can also effectively reduce excessive branch growth, prevent excessive nutrient consumption, and increase planting costs.

The above is a brief introduction to prickly ash tree pruning techniques. Pruning prickly ash trees not only involves different pruning methods, but we should also appropriately adjust the pruning position and pruning method according to the growth vigor and tree age of the prickly ash tree. Ensure that the prickly ash tree can grow robustly, increase yield, and expand your planting benefits. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for reading and supporting.