The primary goal of autumn fruit pruning is to reduce local consumption, encourage overall nutrient accumulation, enhance air circulation and light penetration, and ultimately improve fruit quality. In practical farming, it has been observed that some fruit growers face several challenges during the autumn pruning process. These issues are categorized below, along with specific recommendations for improvement.
1. **Improper Timing Leading to Unwanted Results**
Pruning too early in the autumn can lead to excessive shoot growth, while delaying it may not effectively slow down growth or could waste nutrients and reduce light exposure.
**Recommendations:** Adjust pruning timing based on local conditions. The general practice is to perform topping and retraction after the autumn shoots have stopped, ideally 30–40 days before the fall. If summer shoots continue into autumn, any branches that show signs of new growth should be trimmed as needed. Avoid strict time constraints—remove branches older than one year only when necessary. Cap pruning should be done 25 days after the last autumn tip emerges. Opening branch angles to improve tree ventilation and vigor should be carried out once the autumn shoots have largely ceased.
2. **Excessive and Disorganized Pruning**
A common mistake is over-pruning, where all shoots—regardless of type—are cut at the junction of spring and autumn shoots or between one- and two-year-old branches. This often results in a "lion's head" effect, where the tree becomes overly vigorous instead of being controlled.
**Recommendations:** In late August, focus on pruning the new shoots on auxiliary branches of varieties like Fuji and Golden Crown. Trim at the junction of spring and autumn shoots, or delay cap pruning for one-year-old branches if needed. Apple trees should avoid cap pruning altogether. When performing this technique, apply caps to strong auxiliary branches, and use blind caps for weaker branches with long or golden shoots. Avoid capping main branches and extension heads unless absolutely necessary.
3. **Insufficient Thinning and Blocked Light Pathways**
Some growers only remove inner limbs and sprouting branches from large cuts, leaving other branches untouched. This leads to dense canopies, poor flowering, and delayed fruit coloring.
**Recommendations:** Around mid-September, remove and thin out ineffective, overlapping, crossing, leggy, and competitive branches within the canopy. Focus on clearing internal litchi and annual branches. Avoid excessive pruning. Before harvest, trim or remove dense upper branches, mop skirts, and periphygetate branches as needed. Ensure that the diameter of each cut does not exceed 3 cm to prevent unnecessary damage.
By following these guidelines, fruit growers can optimize their autumn pruning practices, leading to healthier trees, better fruit development, and higher yields.
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