Kiwifruit Planting Time and Methods for Safely Getting Through Summer
Kiwifruit is a fruit with very high nutritional value, with a sweet and sour taste. Besides being eaten fresh, it can also be made into preserved fruit, fruit wine, and more, and it is deeply loved by consumers. Kiwifruit is commonly found in China's Hunan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and other places, and it has relatively high requirements for the growing environment. So when is kiwifruit generally planted? How can it safely get through summer?
1. When is kiwifruit generally planted?
Kiwifruit is generally best planted after leaf fall in winter and before bleeding in spring. Planting 1~2 days during or before rain earlier in the year is best. When kiwifruit is planted at this time, aside from other factors, the survival rate is about 98%. The latest planting time for kiwifruit is before bleeding. The survival rate of kiwifruit planted after bleeding, bud break, and root development will decrease.
If planting in southern regions, because there is more rain in early spring, it is suitable to plant on a cloudy or sunny day before rain. When planting during or after rain, kiwifruit seedlings root slowly and root poorly, which affects seedling survival and is also inconvenient for planting work.
If planting in northern regions, it is best to plant after the new year and before bleeding. It is best not to plant seedlings that have already rooted heavily, sprouted, grown shoots, or whose branch tips have already grown to a certain length.
2. How can kiwifruit safely get through summer?
1. Strict fruit thinning
Starting 15 days after flower drop and continuing until before bagging, carry out careful fruit thinning 2~3 times. According to the principles of “keep the good and remove the poor, keep the large and remove the small, keep the sparse and remove the dense, keep the middle and remove the base,” remove round fruit with poor pollination, deformed fruit or weak small fruit, overlapping fruit, and fruit damaged by pests or disease. Generally, long fruiting branches keep 4~6 fruit, moderate branches keep 2~3 fruit, and short fruiting branches keep 1 fruit or none. In a full-bearing orchard with a plant and row spacing of 3 m × 4 m, a single plant should keep no more than 400 fruit; in a full-bearing orchard with a plant and row spacing of 2 m × 3 m, a single plant should keep no more than 200 fruit; the fruit load in young orchards should be reduced as appropriate.
2. Branch pulling and vine tying.
From the end of pruning in the previous winter to the fruit enlargement period, carry out branch pulling and vine tying. Repeatedly pull fruiting branches and vegetative branches flat and evenly, and tie them. For strong and vigorous framework branches, soften them by kneading the branches before tying. Generally tie 1~2 times, using tying rope to tie them to the wire.
3. Bud removal and pinching.
According to the growth characteristics of kiwifruit, measures such as early bud removal, timely pinching, and short pruning of long branches should be adopted, and it should be pruned multiple times. During the bud break period, buds in improper positions or densely clustered can be removed early. For vigorous fruiting branches in mature orchards, leave 7~9 leaves above the fruiting position and pinch. For the second flush of branches sprouted after the first pinching, leave 3~4 leaves and pinch. For the third flush of sprouted branches, leave 2~3 leaves and pinch. For water sprouts or vegetative branches that can be cultivated, leave 10~12 leaves and pinch. Remove pest-damaged branches and slender weak branches from the base.
4. Strengthen fertilizer and water management.
Summer fertilization should be applied in small amounts and multiple times. In principle, avoid applying high-concentration chemical fertilizers, and prohibit ammonium-form chemical fertilizers. In early June, apply 1 kg of three-element compound fertilizer per plant for the enlargement fertilizer, together with 0.5 kg of medium and trace element fertilizer. In late July and early August, apply 0.5 kg of potassium fertilizer per plant for the high-quality fruit fertilizer. The amount of fertilizer applied in newly bearing orchards should be reduced as appropriate. The fertilization position should be 80~100 cm from the trunk, and the fertilization depth should be 15~20 cm. After each fertilization, irrigate thoroughly. After bagging, spray 1:1 diluted biogas slurry or 500-fold amino acid nutritional leaf fertilizer once every 10 days, for a total of 3 sprays. If high temperature and drought occur, irrigation should be done before 11 a.m. or after 4 p.m. when the ground temperature is relatively low.