Kiwi fruit, also known as Chinese gooseberry, is a highly nutritious fruit. During May, most kiwi orchards are in the stage of new shoot growth and fruit expansion. What details should be noted in the management of kiwi fruit trees in May?
Key Points for Kiwi Fruit Cultivation in May
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Pruning: For newly planted young trees, select a straight, vigorous new shoot as the main trunk to train. Tie the new shoot to a nearby support without allowing it to entwine. For mature trees, remove useless and overly dense buds and branches. Prune out excessive long, developmental, and weak branches. Remove excessively vigorous and non-fruiting trees. Prune back excessively vigorous and non-fruiting trees.
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Fertilization: Apply fertilizers rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, supplemented with micronutrients, to promote fruit expansion. Apply organic fertilizer frequently and thinly, either by irrigation or spot application. Supplement foliar fertilizer appropriately, emphasizing on calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and other micronutrients.
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Thinning: Remove excess and poorly developed flower buds on fruit-bearing branches, leaving only one central flower bud per flower stalk. Conduct manual pollination. One week after flowering, thin out diseased, pest-infested, deformed, side flowers, small, and excess fruits. Typically, leave 4-5 fruits on long fruit branches, 3-4 fruits on medium fruit branches, and 1-2 fruits on short fruit branches, while no fruits should be left on leafy branches below 5 centimeters.
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Bagging: Start bagging in mid to late May. Strictly follow bagging procedures, ensuring that the paper bags are moist, expanded, and tightly sealed with young fruits hanging at the center and the bag opening tightly sealed.
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Pest and Disease Control: Key pests to control this month include leafhoppers, apple leaf rollers, armored scales, and others, while common diseases include gray mold, brown spot, anthracnose, etc. Employ physical control methods such as insect traps, sugar vinegar solutions, sex attractants, etc. Chemical control should be applied according to specific diseases.
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Other Considerations: Pay attention to orchard drainage to reduce waterlogging. Control weeds appropriately by manual or mechanical methods, avoiding excessive use of herbicides. Remove plastic mulch from newly planted seedlings in early May to prevent root damage from accumulating heat.
In summary, the main agricultural activities during this period include fruit thinning, fruit setting, bagging, pruning, pest and disease control, etc.
