What to do about calcium deficiency in apples? Calcium supplementation for fruit trees cannot be ignored

Calcium is very important for humans. Calcium deficiency in children can lead to "X-shaped" legs and "O-shaped" legs, and calcium deficiency in the elderly can cause osteoporosis.

But did you know? Apples can also be deficient in calcium.

What happens when apples are deficient in calcium?

It causes physiological disorders such as bitter pit, blister spot, black spots on the fruit surface, chapped and cracked skin, rough fruit surface, and poor surface finish.

As shown in the picture, this is caused by calcium deficiency.

The occurrence of these disorders directly affects the price of apples and also affects consumers' appetite. This leads to low prices and poor sales for farmers, affecting fruit growers' income.

If you don't want your apples to be deficient in calcium, you have to supplement calcium for them.

First, supplement calcium through the soil. Soil calcium supplementation is the fundamental measure to solve calcium deficiency symptoms. The traditional method is to apply 100kg of slaked lime per mu, but improper operation can easily burn the trees to death. The safest approach is to apply calcium fertilizer when applying base fertilizer and top dressing.

Note: It is strictly forbidden to apply inferior-quality calcium nitrate.

Soil calcium supplementation alone is not enough; foliar calcium supplementation is also needed. Generally speaking, most people pay attention to calcium supplementation before bagging but neglect calcium supplementation after bagging and before harvest. Starting two weeks after flowering until before bagging, spray calcium fertilizer 2-4 times at 7-10 day intervals, and spray once more 40-50 days before harvest, which can reduce the occurrence of bitter pit during storage.

Generally, 2-3 sprays of water-soluble calcium fertilizers such as calcium nitrate and amino acid calcium can be applied from 7-10 days after petal fall until before apple bagging. The concentration of Ca(NO3)2 is 0.4%-0.5%, and the concentration of CaCl2 is 0.3%-0.5%. In August-September, 1-2 more sprays can be applied. When spraying calcium on the leaves, combining it with a low-concentration (generally not exceeding 100ppm) growth regulator can promote the transport of calcium to the fruit.

The trunk also needs calcium supplementation. Using a high-pressure trunk injector to directly supplement calcium to the tree body can effectively increase the calcium content in apple leaves and fruit.

Conclusion: With the popularization of apple bagging technology, the problem of calcium deficiency in apples has become increasingly prominent. Only scientific and effective calcium supplementation can make apple peels delicate and smooth with good gloss, thereby increasing returns.