Apple thinning and fruit thinning are essential practices for achieving high-quality and high-yield fruit production. This technique involves the artificial management of fruit tree development, aiming to balance annual production, improve fruit quality, and ensure the overall health of the tree. The process follows two key principles:
First, it is crucial to eliminate the mindset of overly protecting flowers or leaving too few fruits. Instead, strict adherence to set guidelines is necessary. Experienced growers can estimate by spacing—leaving one fruit every 20-25 cm on average. For those less experienced, following yield standards per unit area is more practical; a typical orchard may aim for around 10,000–12,000 fruits per acre. Each branch should be examined individually to determine how many fruits to keep.
Second, quality must come first. Proper fruit placement ensures healthy growth. In practice, more fruits should be kept on the outer parts of branches, while fewer should be left on the inner parts. Longer branches can support more fruits, while shorter ones should have fewer. Fruits on the sides of twigs should be retained more than those on the back. Top buds should be preserved, while lower ones should be removed. Fruits that develop from secondary shoots should be prioritized, and those without fruit buds should be avoided. Fruits with more rosette leaves are preferable, while those with fewer should be reduced. Central flowers and fruits should be favored over side ones. Large, healthy young fruits should be selected, while small or weak ones should be removed. Long-handled fruits are preferred over short ones, and only healthy, well-shaped fruits should be kept, avoiding deformed, skewed, or damaged ones.
Additionally, several important considerations must be taken into account:
1. Preventing frost damage during flowering is critical. Thinning should be done in three stages: First, after inflorescences appear, remove improperly placed ones, keeping about 10%-20% as a safety margin. Second, after flowering, assess which fruits can develop and reduce the number to around 5%. Third, after the physiological fruit drop (mid-June to early July), finalize the selection based on the development of young fruits. At this stage, only the best fruits should be kept, removing any that cannot grow into high-quality produce.
2. Adjust fruit retention based on market demand and variety characteristics. Popular varieties like Red Fuji typically retain around 10,000–11,000 young fruits per acre. Varieties like Red Star may be slightly increased to 12,000–13,000 per acre. Medium and small-fruited varieties usually aim for about 12,000 per acre.
3. Fruit retention should also be adjusted according to orchard management level, tree age, and branching habits. Orchards with high management, younger trees, and strong growth potential can retain more fruits, while older or weaker trees should be pruned more strictly, sometimes even leaving no fruit to promote tree recovery.
By carefully following these guidelines, growers can significantly improve fruit quality, increase marketability, and maintain the long-term health of their orchards.
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