Detailed Guide to Taiwan Long-fruit Mulberry Cultivation Techniques

AbstractSoil: Taiwan long-fruit mulberry can be planted in areas with fertile soil and deep soil layers. Reasonable planting: dig trenches, apply sufficient base fertilizer, and carry out reasonable close planting according to a certain spacing between plants and rows. Branch pruning: the seedlings can be cut back to set the trunk at 30cm above the ground. Reasonable fertilization: apply sufficient base fertilizer, and from the flowering stage to the young fruit stage, spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaves. Pinching: carry out pinching around May, at the end of June, and at the end of July respectively; after pinching, fertilize and water promptly.

I. Growing Soil

Long-fruit mulberry has low requirements for growing soil, and most soil types can be used for planting. If high yield is desired, it should be planted in areas with fertile soil and deep soil layers.

II. Reasonable Planting

1. Before planting, first dig trenches about 60cm wide and about 50cm deep, then lay a 20-30cm thick layer of crop stalks at the bottom of the trench, then cover with about 10cm of soil, apply farmyard manure on the topsoil, and finally apply about 50 kg of compound fertilizer per mu before backfilling all the topsoil.

2. When planting, the spacing between plants can be about 2-3m, the spacing between rows about 3-3.5m, and about 63-110 plants can be planted per mu. On hillside land and poor thin land, the spacing between plants is about 1m, the row spacing is about 2m, and about 333 plants can be planted per mu. After planting, mound the soil and compact it, then water thoroughly to settle the roots. In areas with severe drought, the number of waterings needs to be increased to ensure the survival rate of the plants.

III. Branch Pruning

1. After planting, the seedlings can be cut back to set the trunk at 30cm above the ground. When the new shoots grow to 20cm, the growing tips can be removed to help promote branching.

2. In the year of planting, the focus is mainly on growing the tree, and the requirement for fruiting rate is not high. In the second year, the mother branches can be cut back, leaving only 2-3 buds, and at the same time urea and quick-acting fertilizer can be applied, which helps promote their growth and lays the foundation for a high yield the following year.

IV. Reasonable Fertilization

1. After harvesting is completed each autumn, trenches should be opened in the middle of the planting rows and sufficient base fertilizer applied, mainly farmyard organic fertilizer and livestock and poultry manure, with 50 kg of compound fertilizer applied together per mu. This helps promote flower bud differentiation and creates conditions for a high yield the following year.

2. From the flowering stage to the young fruit stage, potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be sprayed on the leaves, which helps improve yield and quality.

V. Pinching

1. To increase yield, the plants can be pinched at the right time, generally three times: April 20-May 10, June 20-30, and July 20-30.

2. Generally, after three pinchings, the plant will grow about 15-18 fruiting mother branches, up to a maximum of about 20. Note that after each pinching, fertilizer can be applied reasonably according to the plant's growth condition, with 5-10 kg of urea per mu. Applying it after rainfall gives better results; if there is no rain, water thoroughly after fertilizing.

VI. Pest and Disease Control

Long-fruit mulberry is a hybrid variety with relatively good disease resistance. The main diseases are powdery mildew and highly resistant sclerotinia rot. If pests or diseases occur, low-residue pesticides can be selected for control.