🍎 12-Month Apple Orchard Cycle
Dormancy & Winter Pruning
📅 December – February (दिसंबर – फरवरी)
- Canopy structure pruning and removal of dead or diseased branches
- Application of copper oxychloride paste on cut surfaces
- Orchard cleaning and basal soil application of organic farmyard manure
- Monitoring chill unit accumulation (800–1200 chill hours needed)
Bud Burst, Pink Bud & Flowering
📅 March – April (मार्च – अप्रैल)
- Placement of Italian honeybee boxes for optimal cross-pollination
- Spray of Horticultural Mineral Oil (HMO) at silver tip stage for San Jose scale
- Anti-hail net installation over tree canopy
- Scab prevention spray schedule based on weather advisories
Fruit Set & Fruit Thinning
📅 May – June (मई – जून)
- Manual fruit thinning to maintain one apple per cluster for premium size
- Boron and calcium sprays to prevent bitter pit
- Drip irrigation during dry pre-monsoon spells
- Mite and woolly aphid biological control monitoring
Fruit Coloration, Maturity & Harvesting
📅 July – September (जुलाई – सितंबर)
- Summer light pruning / leaf removal around fruit clusters for sunlight color
- Gentle hand harvesting with cotton gloves in morning hours
- Grading and packing into universal corrugated cartons
- Dispatch to local HPMC / APMC mandis and cold storage transit
Post-Harvest Nutrition & Leaf Fall
📅 October – November (अक्टूबर – नवंबर)
- Post-harvest urea spray to accelerate leaf degradation and curb overwintering fungal spores
- Basal dressing with NPK fertilizers based on soil testing reports
- Painting trunk bases with lime-copper mixture to prevent sun scald and borer attacks
🚜 Horticulture Dept & Kisan Subsidies
CSC Himachal assists apple growers and orchardists with online subsidy applications: MIDH High Density Plantation, Anti-Hail Nets, Power Tillers, Soil Health Cards, and Crop Insurance (PMFBY).
Visit our Matiana center or call 📞 +91-8219086346 for farmer application help.