When to Plant Monk Fruit? Detailed Planting Methods
AbstractSoil preparation: prepare the soil in spring, with a row spacing of 2 m x 1.5 m, and dig holes 30 cm deep. Trellis building: after planting, use miscellaneous wood as supports to build a large trellis. Topdressing: topdress 4-5 times each year, combined with intertillage and weeding. Pollination: use a bamboo slip to scrape off male pollen, then use a writing brush dipped in male pollen to gently smear it onto the stigma of the female flower. Cold protection: after the Start of Winter, mound soil about 20 cm around the roots, then cover with rice straw on top. Pest and disease control: the most common is root-knot nematode disease, which must be carefully controlled.
Everyone is familiar with monk fruit, right? Its main effect is to relieve cough and resolve phlegm, and it can simply be steeped in water and drunk. In China, monk fruit is mainly grown in Longsheng County and Yongfu County in Guangxi, and it is a famous local specialty. It is also one of the first batch of materials approved by the state for both medicinal and edible use. Let us learn about it together below.
How to Plant Monk Fruit
1. When digging up seed tubers of monk fruit, attention should be paid to separating male and female. When planting monk fruit, every twenty female seed tubers need to be paired with one male seed tuber, which makes artificial pollination easier in the later stages of cultivation.
2. Before planting monk fruit seed tubers, the land should first be plowed and harrowed well, holes should be dug, base fertilizer should be placed in the holes, and then a layer of soil should be covered over it, because the seed tubers cannot directly touch the fertilizer, to avoid being damaged.
3. In each hole, there should be no more than two monk fruit seed tubers. Place the sprouted seed tubers in, and when covering with soil on the surface, the sprout tips need to be left exposed so that later growth is better.
When to Plant Monk Fruit
Monk fruit is generally planted in spring, when all things revive, which is beneficial for monk fruit to sprout and grow quickly.
In southern regions, planting begins in early spring when the temperature is about 15 degrees C. In some southern regions, winter temperatures are relatively higher and there is no frost, so planting is also possible.
In the colder northern regions, however, it is necessary to choose the time after the climate gradually warms up, generally around Qingming, to begin planting.
Monk Fruit Planting Methods
1. On leveled land, dig a hole about 30 cm deep at intervals of about 2 m, fill in base fertilizer, then cover with a thin layer of soil, and place two seed tubers in each hole, with a female-to-male ratio of 20:1.
2. Monk fruit is a climbing plant, so a trellis needs to be built when planting, generally 2 m high. During growth, side stems need to be removed so that the main stem grows well.
3. During the growth period of monk fruit, topdressing is needed about 5 times, and weeds should also be removed promptly and frequently.
4. Before planting monk fruit, disease-free tubers should be selected as seed, and the soil and seed tubers should be disinfected, which can effectively prevent pest and disease damage.
Monk fruit has such high nutritional value, and its planting method is not complicated, with considerable returns as well. It is now also one of the important planting projects for poverty alleviation and prosperity in China.