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When is the covering time for protected cultivation of apricots?

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For most apricot varieties, they must undergo a low-temperature period of 700-1000 hours below 7.2°C to break dormancy. Therefore, protected cultivation must raise the temperature only after the apricot's chilling requirement has been met, for success to be possible. If the temperature is raised too early, the apricot trees cannot sprout and bloom normally, and in severe cases it will cause a large number of flower buds to drop, uneven flowering, and severe flower and fruit drop. The timing of temperature increase should also be carefully decided based on the variety's chilling requirement and weather conditions. 1. Covering time for plastic greenhouses: Plastic greenhouses have poor insulation performance, so apricot trees must pass dormancy under natural conditions. The suitable covering time is generally from late January to early February, and the covering time is the temperature-raising time. If the weather is abnormal, such as a warm winter, the covering time should be appropriately delayed. For plastic greenhouses, ground film should be applied 15-20 days before covering to allow the soil temperature to rise slowly.

For most apricot varieties, they must undergo a low-temperature period of 700-1000 hours below 7.2°C to break dormancy. Therefore, protected cultivation must raise the temperature only after the apricot's chilling requirement has been met, for success to be possible. If the temperature is raised too early, the apricot trees cannot sprout and bloom normally, and in severe cases it will cause a large number of flower buds to drop, uneven flowering, and severe flower and fruit drop. The timing of temperature increase should also be carefully decided based on the variety's chilling requirement and weather conditions.

1. Covering time for plastic greenhouses: Plastic greenhouses have poor insulation performance, so apricot trees must pass dormancy under natural conditions. The suitable covering time is generally from late January to early February, and the covering time is the temperature-raising time. If the weather is abnormal, such as a warm winter, the covering time should be appropriately delayed. For plastic greenhouses, ground film should be applied 15-20 days before covering to allow the soil temperature to rise slowly.

2. Covering time for solar greenhouses: Solar greenhouses have better insulation performance and can allow apricot trees to pass dormancy quickly inside them, which requires low-temperature treatment to meet their chilling requirement. Solar greenhouses generally begin covering in late October to early November (when the local nighttime minimum temperature is below 7°C), covering with plastic film and straw curtains. After covering, cover the straw curtains well before sunrise in the morning and close the ventilation openings. In the evening, pull open the straw curtains and open the ventilation openings. When the maximum daytime temperature inside the greenhouse remains below 7°C, there is no need to pull open the straw curtains in the evening. In this way, the temperature inside the greenhouse is kept below 7°C, and after about 1 month to 1.5 months, the apricot's chilling requirement can be met and natural dormancy can be successfully passed. In the central and southern areas of Hebei Province, temperature increase begins in mid-to-late December; in the central and northern areas, it can begin in early December. Solar greenhouses with good insulation performance can begin temperature increase appropriately earlier than those with poorer insulation performance.

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