Plum Flower and Fruit Thinning Methods and Key Technical Points

Plum trees produce a large number of flowers and have a high fruit-setting rate, but the tree's nutrients are limited. A large number of flowers and fruits will consume a great deal of nutrients from the plant, resulting in a large quantity of fruit but smaller size and poorer quality. Therefore, to obtain high-yield and high-quality fruit, timely flower and fruit thinning is necessary. So how should plum flower and fruit thinning be carried out? Let's take a look together.

1. Reasons for Flower and Fruit Thinning

To obtain high-yield and high-quality fruit, flower and fruit thinning must be carried out. The plum tree produces an extremely large number of flowers, 5-10 times the required amount. The excess flowers consume a large amount of nutrients, which is detrimental to fruit growth. Fruit growth depends on leaves to supply nutrients, and the number of leaves is determined by the length of the branches. One month after flowering, the tree's nutrient consumption becomes excessive, the growth of new shoots and branch tips is hindered, the number of leaves decreases, and the synthesis of nutrients is reduced, which is detrimental to fruit growth. Therefore, promptly thinning out part of the flowers and fruits and increasing the number of leaves can promote fruit growth and improve yield and quality.

2. Timing of Flower and Fruit Thinning

Generally, flower thinning is carried out during the flowering period or at the time of flowering, while the timing of fruit thinning is closely related to the plum variety itself, tree age, and climate. Varieties with a high fruit-setting rate should be thinned early; conversely, those with a low fruit-setting rate should be thinned late. According to tree age, mature fruiting trees should be thinned early, while young trees or trees that have just started fruiting should be thinned late. Under normal circumstances, fruit thinning is generally carried out 15-20 days after the flowers fade, when the fruits have grown to the size of a bean, and thinning is done in one go. When thinning flowers and fruits, some situations also need attention: for varieties susceptible to frost damage, varieties with less pollen, and plants growing in poor environments, flower thinning is not advisable, and their fruit thinning should generally be carried out at the time of the second physiological fruit drop, when there is already some difference in fruit growth; keep the strong fruits and thin out the weak ones.

3. Flower and Fruit Thinning Methods

For flower thinning, remove late-opening flowers, deformed flowers, upward-facing flowers, and flowers without branches or leaves; keep the flowers on the middle and upper parts of branches and leaves, and generally thin out one-third of the flowers. For fruit thinning, remove double fruits, small fruits, deformed fruits, and overly densely growing fruits. Keep fruits according to the branches and trunk; generally, keep more fruits on the upper half and fewer on the lower half, which can control excessive fruit growth and bring it to a balanced state. For plants with stronger tree vigor, more fruits can be kept appropriately, while for weaker tree vigor, fewer fruits should be kept.

The above is an introduction to plum flower and fruit thinning methods. We hope it can help you. For more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.