Apple tree management techniques in January

With the arrival of January, the coldest period of the year arrives, and apple trees are in a deep dormant state. The focus of orchard management should be on shaping and pruning to cultivate standardized tree shapes and healthy tree structures. At the same time, we must strengthen winter protection measures, improve the cold resistance of fruit trees, and ensure that basic management work in orchards is effectively implemented.

1. Shaping and pruning

1. Tree shape cultivation in new orchards

For newly built dwarf Fuji apple orchards, a slender spindle-shaped tree shape should be established and cultivated.

First-year trees: Cut off all branches below 80 cm from the ground, retain branches above 80 cm as they will regrow next year, and perform "top-pruning" on the center trunk.

Second-year trees: Similarly, prune branches below 80 cm. For branches above 80 cm, if the base angle is open and the growth is weak, you can retain them appropriately and level them the next year. Prune all competing branches and continue to "break the head" of the central trunk.

Third-year trees: prune branches below 80 cm. Among branches above 80 cm, only prune competing branches, overcrowded branches, overlapping branches and "branches of the same age". The rest will be retained and leveled next year. The treatment of the central trunk will depend on the situation.

Trees over four years old: A slender spindle shape is basically formed, with a crown that is small on top and large on the bottom. The tree is 2.5 to 3.5 meters tall, the trunk is 80 centimeters high, and the crown diameter is about 1.5 meters. There are about 20 small main branches that are evenly, spirally, and interspersed. The central trunk is upright and branching at large angles. The ratio of the central trunk to the main branches is greater than 3:1.

2. Pruning old orchards

According to the variety, density, tree shape, tree vigor, site conditions and management level of the apple orchard, scientific and reasonable shaping and pruning measures are taken to adjust the tree structure, reduce the tree height to 80% of the row spacing, remove dense and large branches, reduce the crown, make the crown width smaller than the plant spacing, improve ventilation and light conditions, promote inner branches, cultivate and renew fruiting branch groups, adjust the composition of various branches, and cultivate "three sets of branches".

2. Whitewashing of tree trunks

Before the soil freezes, use whitewash to paint the tree trunks and main branches. This can not only reduce or avoid sunburn and frost damage to fruit trees, but also eliminate overwintering pests. The preparation ratio of the whitewash agent is: 5 kg of quicklime , 1 kg of salt, 0.15 kg of animal oil, 0.5 kg of lime sulfur solution, and 12.5 kg of water.

3. Pest and disease control

1. Garden cleaning

Remove diseased and dead fruits from the trees promptly, and clear fallen leaves, diseased and insect-infested branches, dry branches, weeds, waste, etc. out of the orchard, and burn or bury them in a concentrated area to eliminate overwintering dormant diseases and insects.

2. Scrape the old peeling skin

The trunk, branches and old bark of the tree are the overwintering places for pests and diseases, and they hide many kinds of pests and diseases. Place bedding around the tree trunks, collect all the scraped bark and overwintering pests and diseases, take them out of the orchard and burn or bury them deeply. Scrape the bark thoroughly without leaving any gaps. Whitewash the trunks of the fruit trees after scraping the bark.

3. Cut off diseased and insect-infested branches

Combined with winter pruning, cutting off dry branches and diseased and insect-infested branches, taking them out of the orchard and burning them in a centralized manner can prevent a variety of diseases and pests, reduce the base number of diseases and pests, and mitigate the damage in the coming year.

The above is an introduction to the key points of apple tree management in January. The focus of apple tree management will vary according to the tree condition and variety, so everyone should pay attention to reasonable arrangements.