Key Management Techniques for Fruit Trees During Drought Periods
There are a great many types of fruit in our country, so fruit trees are planted across a very large area in China. When growing fruit trees, we need to do a good job of management to avoid adverse conditions that affect the normal growth of the trees. Drought is one of these, and it has a very large impact on both the yield of fruit trees and the quality of the fruit. So how should fruit trees be managed during drought? Below, the editor gives a brief introduction. Let's take a look!
1. Mulching the soil
When growing fruit trees, mulching the soil is a fairly important task. Proper mulching can effectively improve the soil's ability to retain water and preserve moisture. When planting, we can use materials such as straw, grass mats and plastic film to mulch the soil in the orchard. After mulching, be sure to secure the mulch material well to avoid wind damage and fire. Mulching can effectively reduce water evaporation from the ground surface, thereby reducing drought conditions, and it should generally be done in early spring.
2. Loosening the soil to preserve moisture
If the orchard has not been mulched, then be sure to regularly hoe and loosen the soil to preserve moisture. Make the soil fine and softer, and prevent moisture from the lower soil layer from rising to the surface and evaporating, which also improves the soil's moisture-retention capacity. In addition, proper hoeing and moisture preservation can also effectively clear weeds from the ground surface, reducing the threat weeds pose to the growth of fruit trees and concentrating nutrients and water on the fruit trees.
3. Improving the soil
If the soil moisture condition in the orchard is poor, then we need to do a good job of improving the soil. When improving the soil, be sure to combine it with fertilization work, so as to improve soil quality and enhance its water- and fertilizer-retention capacity. This prevents soil moisture from evaporating too quickly and causing soil drought. When improving the soil, soil conditioners, water-retaining agents, evaporation inhibitors and the like can be used.
4. Proper pruning
Pruning is an indispensable task when growing fruit trees. It is also an important measure for adjusting the growth vigor of fruit trees. For vigorously growing trees, during winter pruning, heading cuts should be well controlled to avoid excessive tree vigor and reduce the water consumed by vegetative growth. If the tree's growth is weak, then renewal pruning should be done well to strengthen the tree vigor and the growth of the branches, improving the tree's drought resistance. During the fruit tree's growing period, be sure to promptly remove excess sprouts, and then carry out heading, thinning and pinching back on some leggy branches to reduce the number of branches and leaves and control the amount of water evaporation.
The above is a brief introduction to how to manage fruit trees during drought. That's all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!