There is an opinion: if a fruit tree is sleepy for one year, the branches are breaking from the harvest, then the next year it “rests”, and this, they say, is in the order of things. So be it.
The indispensable "rest" of the tree is a myth. In fact, there is a periodicity of fruiting, which can and should be fought. It is not always possible to eliminate this phenomenon completely. But I have already learned to limit abundance and create conditions for laying new fruit buds.
Reasons for forced rest
The tree does not switch to cyclic harvests immediately. At first, it is regular and bears fruit every year. But one day, for some reason (bad weather conditions, lack of care), its growth slows down. And there are just as many color buds. The energy of the tree is directed to the synthesis of substances for the fruits, and it is not enough to lay the buds, which should bloom in a year. A new summer is coming - but there is nothing for the tree to bloom. Here it is "resting".
Important. Check if your fruit trees are doing well. The regrown young parts of the branches are clearly visible. If during the season the shoots stretched more than 30 cm, this is the norm.
Despite the pause in flowering, assimilants continue to be created in the branches - amino acids, sugars and other compounds that would otherwise help ripen the fruits. But there are no flowers and ovaries, and free organic compounds are used to lay new buds. The result is a good harvest for next year.
Under constant conditions, the cycle is repeated. Sometimes the number of lean years can reach 2-3 if there is:
- too fast growth;
- growth retardation with aging;
- overabundance of flower buds.
At the same time, from the exhaustion of trees, the fruits become smaller.
A combination of favorable conditions can lead to an abundance of buds: for example, neither hail nor frost interfered with flowering, the tree received a balanced top dressing, and was protected from pests. But it turns out that not always an overabundance of color is useful. Sometimes trees drop extra ovaries to avoid overload. But apples, pears, plums, and peaches are not good at self-regulation.
How to regulate fruiting
There are several methods. They are aimed both at rejuvenating horticultural crops and stimulating growth, and at working with flowers:
- hard pruning;
- improved feeding;
- cutting off excess ovaries and flowers.
After rejuvenating pruning, the tree's first priority is to recover as soon as possible. If at the same time it begins to receive enhanced nutrition, it will switch to growing new branches. Energy will be directed to the fruiting and formation of future buds according to the residual principle.
Effective and manual thinning of flowers and ovaries. After a little practice, I can easily isolate high-quality ovaries and leave them at intervals of 10-20 cm on a branch. The harvest is better, and the tree is not depleted.
We remove the ovaries correctly
Of course, it is easier to work with ovaries on young trees with small crowns. The best period is during flowering, or as soon as the petals fall.
If there is an abundance of flowers, I put inflorescences under the secateurs, but on the condition that the weather forecast in the coming weeks does not threaten frosts. Otherwise, frost will arrange another thinning.
At first, it is difficult to raise a hand on flowers and ovaries. Well, how will you be left without a crop at all? Then you mentally estimate the location of future apples or pears on a branch, compare it with a conditionally average amount - and then it’s already clear whether or not to cut. Doubts disappear in the fall when you see the results of your labors. Yes, and the trees, I think, if they could, said their "thank you" for their support.
Have you encountered a similar problem? If yes, how was it resolved?
Read also: We plant an apple tree in the summer - what and how to do
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