Custard Apple Pruning Techniques in June and July

Sugar apple , also known as custard apple , is a very popular fruit in the market. It is grown in Zhejiang, Taiwan, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other regions in China. Here is an introduction to the pruning techniques of sugar apple in June and July.

Custard Apple Pruning Techniques in June and July

1. Pruning young trees

Young custard apple trees are usually pruned in spring or summer and autumn, mainly to cultivate the main branches and secondary branches, promote branch germination, and cultivate them into a dwarfed, multi-branched umbrella-shaped crown. Within 1 to 2 years after planting, top the main trunk when it is about 50 cm high, leaving 4 evenly distributed main branches, and pinch off the top when the main branches are 60 cm high.

2. Fruit tree pruning

Summer pruning of sugar-apple trees is generally carried out in June and July every year. Summer pruning has two purposes. The first is to maintain the tree vigor, improve permeability, reduce nutrient consumption and damage caused by pests and diseases; the second is to regulate the production period of sugar-apple, promote the production of winter fruits, and increase the yield of sugar-apple.

The main thing is to prune the overgrown branches near the main trunk, and prune the branches that have few or no flowers, few or no fruits, or poor fruit quality. Secondly, it is necessary to appropriately shorten branches and prune new branches to reduce the chance of disease and insect pests, which can also increase production and improve quality.

Other pruning matters for Custard Apple

1. Winter pruning

Winter pruning is a comprehensive, large-scale pruning. In addition to pruning the tree shape, it also requires dwarfing the plants, reducing the tree width, and controlling the number and distribution of fruiting branches. It is usually carried out around January every year. The first thing to do is to prune away the old branches, dead branches, diseased and insect-infested branches, dense branches, and weak branches of the sugar- apple tree ; then the fruiting branches of the sugar-apple tree are appropriately adjusted and retracted, and new fruiting mother branches are cultivated; and the crown of the tree is pruned reasonably to maintain stable permeability; finally, the whole plant is forced to fall leaves, which can promote the differentiation of flower buds.

2. Top cutting

The natural flowering and fruiting period of Sugar Apple is from July to September. You can use the method of topping or pruning and removing leaves to promote the sprouting and flowering of new shoots, so as to increase the number of flowers or regulate the flowering period, fruit harvest period and market supply.

3. Pruning after fruit picking

Summer pruning is carried out after the fruit is harvested. The 2 to 4 leaves on the upper part of the branches are shortened and removed. The branches will sprout, grow new shoots and buds 7 to 15 days after pruning, and then bloom one after another. The fruits will mature from November to March of the following year.

That’s it