Under normal circumstances, when kiwi buds sprout in spring, there are many buds. If the number of buds is not controlled, the leaves will appear crowded after opening, causing canopy shading and weakening the tree. Therefore, it is important to leave good buds to lay the foundation for high-quality and high-yield kiwi fruit. Let's learn about the techniques for kiwi spring bud rubbing together.
Techniques for Kiwi Spring Bud Rubbing
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Bud Rubbing Timing: Choose a time when the bud quality can be clearly identified. Rubbing buds too early makes it difficult to assess bud quality, while rubbing buds too late consumes too many nutrients.
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Objects for Rubbing:
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Rub off useless buds such as back buds, late sprouting buds, weak buds, malformed buds, buds without or with few flower buds, and trunk adventitious buds.
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For opposite buds, alternate buds, cluster buds, adjacent buds, and densely distributed buds, leave one strong bud that is relatively consistent with the other remaining buds.
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For dormant buds in the cavity, at the base of fruiting main branches, it is not recommended to rub buds. Wait until they sprout into young branches before selecting for removal.
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Rubbing Method:
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For young trees not yet on trellises or newly grafted trees or planted seedlings, rub off basal sprouts. For grafted trees, rub off basal seedling sprouts when the grafted buds grow to over 3cm.
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For mature trees, the principle is to leave more buds on strong trees and fewer buds on weak trees. Leave 10-12 buds per robust fruiting branch, 8-10 buds per moderate fruiting branch, 4-6 buds per weak fruiting branch, and 2-4 buds per short, weak branch.
In conclusion, bud rubbing is an important operation for kiwi thinning, which affects yield, fruit size, tree vigor, and tree longevity.
