Kiwifruit Management Measures in February

The arrival of February means the beginning of spring, and the kiwifruit trees in the orchard wake up from hibernation and their nutrients begin to sprout. February is a critical period for kiwifruit management. Let’s learn about kiwi management methods in February.

1. Key technical points for new garden construction

New gardens need to be built in a hurry, planned according to technical standards, leveled the land, laid out lines, dug drainage ditches, made ridges, dug holes, applied fertilizers, cultivated organic soil, sprinkled fungicides to treat the soil, and then covered with a 5 cm thick layer of soil before planting seedlings. Note that the tree roots cannot directly contact organic fertilizer , and the seedlings cannot be planted too deep, generally 5 cm below the ridge (15 cm to 20 cm for clay, 20 cm to 25 cm for sandy soil). After planting, water thoroughly. It is better to water the seedlings twice more than to plant them too deep so that the roots are not able to breathe.

2. Key points for managing seedlings in established gardens

Leveling: Leveling the seedlings planted last winter, leaving 3 to 5 full buds on the upper part of the grafting point and cutting them horizontally. It should not be too high or leave too many buds. If you find that the roots are dry and lack water, water them in time, especially on sunny slopes.

Grafting: Grafting is done on seedlings that are one year old. Select kiwifruit varieties suitable for local planting in advance, contact grafting technicians, prepare grafting materials (scion, grafting film, disinfectant alcohol, etc.), and carry out grafting and pruning at the same time.

3. Key points for orchard management

Reinforcement: For orchards that have already produced fruit, the wire on the frame needs to be re-tightened, and the anchor needs to be checked to see if it is loose. If so, it needs to be reinforced; weeds and branches in the orchard need to be cleared (and placed on the edge of the field for fumigation during the late spring cold snap). Spray the entire garden with insecticides and fungicides (in clear and windless weather, mainly lime sulfur mixture, agricultural streptomycin or 600 times diluted thiophanate-methyl).

Branch tying: Distribute the branches reasonably and evenly on the frame surface, fix them with plastic U-shaped clips, or tie them with corn husks. The branches cannot overlap or cross, and the tied branches should be movable but not moved, and tied but not stiff, leaving space for the branches to grow thicker.

4. Apply germination fertilizer

Fertilize before budding (late February, early March). On the basis of the organic fertilizer applied in autumn, apply germination fertilizer (mainly compound fertilizer with high nitrogen content). If no fertilizer is applied in winter, you can mix organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer and apply them together (1 ton of organic fertilizer and 300 kilograms of compound fertilizer per mu) and water them at the same time. When applying fertilizer, dig radial trenches with the tree circle as the center and spread the fertilizer (6 to 8 trenches, 50 to 60 cm long and 20 to 30 cm deep). Keep a distance of 10 to 20 cm between the fertilizer and the tree roots. The roots and fertilizer should not be in direct contact.

5. Remove the film

For orchards that were covered with plastic film last year to protect against the cold, the plastic film should be removed as soon as the weather warms up to allow the roots to breathe and reduce heat vapor under the film.

The above points are the key to kiwifruit management in February. Doing these things well can lay a solid foundation for the healthy growth and high yield of kiwifruit.