Summer pruning techniques of Modern Dwarf densely planted Apple Orchard

In recent years, a large number of dwarfing and densely planted apple orchards have taken root everywhere. However, the old revolution has encountered new problems, and many bases have not really understood and mastered the new cultivation mode. Dwarfing and close planting cultivation focuses on summer pruning, what kind of management methods should we adopt to adapt to it?

Modern dwarfing and dense planting orchards often use large seedlings branched from rootstocks to build orchards, and cultivate a "wall" structure through wide rows and close planting, supporting corresponding machinery and equipment to achieve the purpose of labor-saving, standardization and large-scale. Due to the adoption of a new cultivation model, the traditional management methods are no longer adapted, from tree shape to pruning.

In traditional orchards, small seedlings with single stem are used to build orchards, but the final target tree shape is often large crown tree shape, so the growth of young trees is mainly promoted, and winter pruning is widely used in production. In terms of results, the idea of growing trees first and then bearing fruit is also adopted, and there is generally no fruit in the first 3-4 years. As for the modern dwarfing dense planting garden, due to the use of branches and large seedlings to build the garden, and the target tree shape is a small crown tree (high spindle shape, crown width less than 1 meter), therefore, the general management ideas are mainly to inhibit the growth of young trees, and a large number of summer pruning is used. In terms of results, the idea of growing trees while bearing fruit was adopted, and an appropriate amount of fruit was used to control the crown in the early stage.

Traditional fruit trees generally have about 5 permanent main branches (trunk sparse layer shape), each main branch is equipped with lateral branches and fruiting branches, paying attention to the number of base angle, waist angle and tip angle, and paying attention to the size, position and orientation of lateral branches. it takes many years for a main branch to be cultivated, so the cultivation of each main branch is fine and strict. After the successful cultivation of the main branches, the pruning management is a local small adjustment, the skeleton part no longer changes, and summer pruning often only deals with some luxuriant dorsal branches. For the high spindle tree in the dwarfing dense planting garden, the whole tree has 40 to 50 temporary main branches, so the choice and management of a single main branch has little impact on the whole tree. At this time, the tree shape management no longer pays attention to the individual, but takes the whole tree or the group as the starting point.

When traditional fruit trees are pruned, we focus on the reaction of cutting buds, because we are cultivating branches. In the past, we used to say, "if you cut it well, you can see how the trees react." Modern high spindle tree pruning, we look at the reaction of other branches, the pruned branches are often renewed after 1 or 2 years. This kind of pruning, we are making a choice, there are many branches in the whole tree, we will keep the good and suitable ones, and retract or remove the too large and bad ones. So how can we make sure that there are many branches on the tree for us to choose from every year? In fact, it is very simple, that is, we leave "alive" when we remove big branches, that is, instead of traditional root thinning, we leave short piles to ensure that two or three hidden buds will sprout in the coming year.

For this reason, the basic ideas for the pruning of modern dwarfing dense planting gardens are mainly summer pruning; second, growing trees while bearing fruit, pressing the crown with fruit; third, paying attention to groups, which can be done across the board; and fourth, changing branch culture into branch selection.

In view of the above ideas, combined with our company's 3-year-old dwarfing dense planting garden, talk about some summer pruning methods.

The variety demonstration park of Baoji Huasheng Fruit Co., Ltd. is located in Yingming Village, Shuigou Town, Qianyang County, covering an area of 100 mu. There are also rust-free Golden Crown, Fuji Cool, Fubras, Modi, Bakai, Honey, Saint Red, Adahong, Esda, Australian Green Apple and other varieties. The first batch of colonization in May 2014, using imported branch seedlings, M 9-T337 rootstock, row spacing of 3.5m × 1m, integrated fertilizer and water management, grass growing between rows. So far, the tree has reached more than 3.5 meters in height and more than 40 branches, and the number of branches per mu has reached 40,000 after winter pruning in 2015. The number of fruit left per plant this year is 100,120, with an estimated yield of 2000,000kg per mu.

At present, the tree is a little prosperous, some branches are too long, and some of the lower trees are closed. The goal of summer pruning is to further standardize the tree structure, maintain the uniaxial extension of the main branches, straighten out the branches, appropriately control the vigorous growth, and individually adjust the amount of results and light, so that sunlight can enter the inner chamber. The specific measures are as follows:

1. Retract and grow branches between the lines. On the basis of winter thinning, some overlong, temporary bearing branches can be retracted at this time, and when retreating, pay attention to leaving a flat, weak branch lead, generally cutting off the part of the branch protruding between the rows, accounting for about 1 beat 5 times 1x4 of the branch length, and if the base of the branch and the part near the inner chamber have enough fruit (usually 5 times 8). The excessively long part of the tip and the excess fruit can be removed together. If the base and inner part of the fruit are insufficient, it needs to be mastered comprehensively according to the fruit retention of the whole tree.

two。 Remove the upper too large erect branches. Generally speaking, high spindle tree shape shaping can cultivate a large number of excellent main branches in time in the first two years, and in the third year, combined with labor saving and other comprehensive considerations, generally no longer pull branches, for larger erect branches in the upper part of the tree, if there is no large number of flowers and fruit, then consider directly dredging at this time.

3. The competitive branches of the extended head of the main branch and the overlong branches in the middle of the main branch were removed. After the high spindle-shaped main branch is put for a long time, its elongated head is easy to form double fork head, trigeminal head and multi-forked head. If its growth will disturb the tree shape and affect the light, it should be thinned out in this period. In addition, in order to ensure the uniaxial extension of the main branch, it is also necessary to remove the large side branches on the main branch.