Detailed Explanation of the Key Techniques for Flower and Fruit Thinning of Chinese Bayberry

The planting area of Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra) in China is quite large. Chinese bayberry is a very popular fruit; it can not only be eaten fresh but also be made into various processed products, such as bayberry wine and dried bayberry, all of which have a very large market. When growing Chinese bayberry, we need to do a good job in management, among which flower and fruit thinning is something that cannot be ignored. So how should flower and fruit thinning be done? Let's take a look together below!

I. Why Flower and Fruit Thinning Is Needed

The Chinese bayberry tree is an evergreen fruit-bearing tree, and evergreen fruit trees generally show the phenomenon of alternate bearing (on-year and off-year). Therefore, we must control the leaf-to-fruit ratio of the Chinese bayberry tree well: leave more fruit on vigorous trees and less fruit on weak trees, and carry out flower and fruit thinning according to the growth of the shoots. If the flower and fruit thinning of Chinese bayberry is done properly, the fruit quality is markedly improved, the ripening time is earlier, and the rate of rotten fruit is low. Reasonable flower and fruit thinning can control the fruit load of each Chinese bayberry tree well, regulate the relationship between the reproductive growth and vegetative growth of the Chinese bayberry tree, and achieve the goal of high and stable yields of high quality year after year as much as possible.

II. Methods of Flower and Fruit Thinning

1. Flower thinning by cutting back bearing branches

Flower thinning by cutting back bearing branches is a commonly used method of flower and fruit thinning for Chinese bayberry trees. It is usually done in mid-February each year. Observe the growth of on-year trees; if an on-year tree has many flower buds differentiated, then all the bearing branches of the whole tree should be evenly cut back by about 1/5 or 2/5. Then, for some bearing branches that are thin and weak or grow too densely, they should also be removed in time. In addition, each tree should be appropriately top-dressed with about 1 kg of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer such as urea to promote the sprouting of vegetative branches.

2. Chemical flower thinning

Chemical flower thinning is mainly aimed at on-year trees and some plants with a large fruit load. After they enter the full-bloom stage, agents such as Shu 6 are used for flower thinning. The amount of flower thinning can generally reach about 50%, and it can also enlarge the fruit shape, advance the fruit ripening time, and improve fruit quality, etc. Moreover, the number of new shoots and the yield of the following year can also be significantly increased. For some trees that grow too weakly and some trees with more flower buds, after fruit harvest, some gibberellin can be appropriately sprayed, about once every ten days, for about one month of spraying, which can increase the number of autumn shoots and also achieve the purpose of inhibiting the rate of flower bud formation.

3. Hand thinning

Hand thinning is the most effective method for flower and fruit thinning and for preventing phenomena such as alternate bearing. However, hand thinning consumes a relatively large amount of labor, so it is not suitable for large-scale Chinese bayberry orchards. Hand thinning requires about 3 rounds: the first is carried out three weeks after the Chinese bayberry enters the full-bloom stage, mainly targeting densely clustered fruit and small, inferior fruit. Then the second is carried out when the fruit grows to about the size of a table tennis ball, leaving about one fruit per bearing branch. Finally, about one and a half months after the full-bloom stage, another thinning can be carried out: keep 3 fruit on long bearing branches, 2 fruit on medium bearing branches, and 1 fruit on short bearing branches.

The above is a brief introduction to the flower and fruit thinning techniques for Chinese bayberry. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can help everyone!