Apple orchard management plan for March

It is now March, the spring season when all things come back to life. Spring is the best time to plan the year's agricultural activities, and early management of plants is particularly critical. Taking appropriate management measures before the plants start to grow can effectively regulate the growth of branches, optimize light conditions, and promote the germination and transformation of buds, which can achieve twice the result with half the effort. In addition, early spring is also the golden period for preventing and controlling pests and diseases. Let’s learn about the apple orchard management plan for March.

1. Fertilization

Before the apple tree's root system reaches its first growth peak, usually in early to mid-March, fruit farmers need to apply fertilizer and irrigation in a timely manner. When applying fertilizer, use nitrogen fertilizer as the main fertilizer, supplemented with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, and add appropriate amounts of trace elements. Adjust the amount of fertilizer according to the growth conditions of the trees and the fruiting years: more fertilizer is needed for weak-growing trees, less for strong-growing trees; more fertilizer is needed for trees in good years, less for trees in bad years; orchards with insufficient base fertilizer should increase the amount of fertilizer; fruit trees with dark green leaves in autumn and late leaf fall can reduce or no fertilizer.

2. Irrigation

After fertilization, the apple orchard needs to be irrigated to ensure that water penetrates into the 60-80 cm soil layer. Furrow irrigation is mostly used for irrigation, and hole irrigation can be considered in arid areas . After fertilization and irrigation, the whole garden should be tilled in time.

3. Orchard Cleaning

Before applying fertilizer, clean the orchard thoroughly, remove fallen leaves, scrape off diseased bark and rot scars, cut off diseased branches, and properly dispose of diseased residues. Choose appropriate pesticides for garden cleaning to enhance tree vigor, prevent diseases, and kill latent pathogens.

4. Plastic Sculpting

Before the apple trees sprout, they are required to pull the branches, adjust the angles and carve buds in a directional manner to adjust the number of branches and buds growing.

5. Pest and disease control

In March, apple tree pests and diseases are not yet active, making it the best time to prevent and control them. Taking measures at this time can effectively reduce the occurrence of diseases and pests, reduce the burden of prevention and control throughout the year, reduce the number of spraying in the later stage, and improve the prevention and control effect.

Scrape the bark : remove diseased spots and old skin from the bark, clean the orchard, and apply pesticides.

Rot disease: From late March to around the flowering period is the critical period for preventing and controlling rot disease. The orchard should be carefully inspected, diseased spots should be scraped off and pesticides applied in time, and diseased skin tissue should be collected and destroyed.

Ring rot: Early spring is the best time to apply paint to prevent and control ring rot. Be gentle when scraping off the tumor to avoid damaging the healthy bark. Apply medicine after scraping and properly handle the diseased skin tissue.

For severely damaged trees, if the conducting tissue is damaged, bridging technology can be used to repair them during the flowering period.

The above is an introduction to the key management points and plans for apple trees in March. You can refer to and make adjustments based on the conditions of the trees in your own orchard.