Apples are fruit trees planted in many areas of China. To achieve high yields, proper management of fruit trees is essential. So, what aspects should be considered for the management of one-year-old apple saplings? Let's explore the management techniques for one-year-old apple saplings together.
1. Branch Training
Branch training can change the growth direction of apple trees, ensuring the balanced development of sapling crowns and ultimately guaranteeing yield. Grasp the branches and repeatedly push them upwards, then swing them left and right repeatedly. While softening the base of the branches, press the branches downwards to a 110-degree angle, ensuring that the branches are straight like a balance beam, without forming an "arch." During branch training, care should be taken to prevent splitting in saplings with inadequate opening angles.
2. Girdling
Girdling is performed on one-year-old branches longer than 50cm. All buds except those within the top 20cm and 20cm from the central stem are girdled. Combined with branch training, this practice slows branch growth, promotes the formation of short fruit branches and flower clusters, and encourages early fruiting and high yields.
3. Pruning
Using disinfected sharp scissors, prune the excessively long branches of the plants, eliminating the top dominance of apple seedlings and promoting the sprouting of lateral branches. Spray potassium permanganate solution on the cut ends of the apple seedlings to promote healthy growth. During autumn pruning, remove all pest-infested and diseased weak branches to avoid nutrient loss, enabling the plant to generate vigorous new branches the following year. Apply wood ash to the wounds of the apple branches, then wrap the branches with plastic film to promote wound healing.
4. Fertilization and Irrigation
Adopt controlled vigorous growth principles for fertilization and irrigation management of saplings. Especially in the high-altitude regions of Northwest China, due to local climate and irrigation influences, excessive autumn growth can lead to weak tree conditions, making them susceptible to winter freezing and branch dieback. Fertilization should focus on reducing nitrogen and increasing phosphorus and potassium. August is the potassium-demanding period for fruit trees, and phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be supplemented through foliar and soil applications. Apply low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus, and high-potassium fertilizers. Maintain soil moisture in the field at less than 50% to slow tree growth, promote nutrient cell fluid concentration, and enhance tree resistance.
5. Pest and Disease Control
Main pests and diseases of apple saplings include leaf spot blight, apple brown spot, anthracnose leaf blight, stem canker, apple leaf roller, leaf miner, aphids, and longhorn beetles. Suitable pesticides include 800-fold dilution of carbendazim, 600-fold dilution of mancozeb, 1000-fold dilution of methyl viologen, 1500-fold dilution of dichlorvos, and 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate.
Above are the management techniques for one-year-old apple saplings. It is essential for apple growers to carry out proper management practices for successful cultivation.
