How to Grow Star Fruit: Star Fruit Planting Methods and Precautions
Currently, there are many places with abandoned fields and hillsides. People often want to make use of that abandoned land. So they want to plant some saplings. Star fruit is a fruit everyone is familiar with, and its fruit is very beautiful, so people plant star fruit seedlings. So, how do you grow star fruit seedlings? Are star fruit seedlings expensive? Below, the editor will go on about some of the operation methods and precautions for planting.
How to Grow Star Fruit
1. Early shaping: The main goal for star fruit trees is to cultivate a compact, round-headed canopy. After the young tree is planted, cut the top at 40-50 cm above the ground. After new shoots emerge, keep 3-4 evenly distributed main branches. When the main branches are 30-40 cm long, pinch off the tips, leaving 2-3 buds per branch. Because star fruit has a strong ability to sprout shoots and form branches, shaping should follow this principle. As the number of branch orders increases, a high-yielding canopy can be formed from spring planting to the end of the following year. During shaping, bamboo branches or thin string can be used to secure weak branches to prevent them from drooping and to make the main branches evenly distributed.
2. Pruning during the fruiting period: Pruning of star fruit trees during the fruiting period should be light rather than heavy. Branches in the middle and lower parts should be retained as much as possible so they are arranged in layers, with branches and leaves evenly distributed and moderate density. For young and vigorous fruiting trees, it is advisable to remove dominant branches and thin out some nutrient branches in the upper part of the canopy to suppress growth, and pay attention to cutting back thumb-thick branches in different directions year by year to maintain a strong, vigorous tree and ensure annual yield. For old and weak trees, branches in the upper part of the canopy can be cultivated to shade the trunk, and water sprouts can be fully used to fill gaps in the canopy and renew old branches.
Star Fruit Planting Methods and Precautions
1. Fertilizer to promote shoots, strengthen shoots, and induce flowering: Apply fertilizer to promote shoots, strengthen shoots, and induce flowering in March to April, applying 0.2-0.3 kg of compound fertilizer, 0.1 kg of urea, and 10-20 kg of decomposed human and livestock manure per plant. Fruit-retention fertilizer: Apply fruit-retention fertilizer in June to July, when the main-season fruit is thumb-sized and begins to turn its calyx downward, applying 25-30 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per plant (composted in the ratio of superphosphate : bran fertilizer : human urine = 1:2:100).
2. Fertilizer to strengthen fruit and promote flowering: Apply fertilizer to strengthen fruit and promote flowering after August during the rapid fruit enlargement stage, with the same type and amount as the fruit-retention fertilizer. Ripening-promoting fertilizer: Apply ripening-promoting fertilizer before the fruit matures, applying 10-20 g of urea per plant.
3. Winter fertilizer: In December during winter, apply heavy fertilizer, mainly organic fertilizer. This is the key fertilizer of the year and should account for more than 25% of the annual fertilization amount. It plays an important role in strengthening the tree, improving cold resistance, reducing leaf drop and dead branches in winter, and increasing next year's yield.
4. Four-season sweet star fruit has the habit of bearing fruit early. Generally, it is planted at the beginning of the year and harvested at the end of the year. However, in the early stage there are many empty spaces between rows and plants, and star fruit is afraid of strong sunlight and requires a semi-shaded, moist environment, so it should be properly intercropped with papaya, banana, vegetables, soybeans, and similar crops.
Pest and Disease Control of Star Fruit Trees
1. Anthracnose. Harm: Star fruit anthracnose only harms star fruit fruits, mostly occurring at maturity. Wounds can induce disease during storage and transport. Control: Thoroughly remove. Deeply bury diseased fruits and small fruits on the tree as well as fallen and rotten fruits on the ground. During harvest and transport, minimize fruit damage as much as possible. In severely affected orchards, spray Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate 1 kg, slaked lime 1.2 kg, water 200 kg) or 600x copper oxychloride during the small-fruit stage, once every 10-15 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays. Clean the orchard in winter.
2. Red spot disease harms only the leaves of star fruit and is a fungal disease. Affected leaves first produce extremely small yellow spots, which gradually expand into round shapes. Control: Strengthen management, strengthen the tree, and improve disease resistance. In winter or early spring, remove diseased fallen leaves, burn them in a concentrated manner, and plow the soil surface.
Cultivated Varieties of Star Fruit Trees
1. Malaysian sweet star fruit: The Malaysian sweet star fruit plant is tall, grows quickly, has a high fruiting rate, crisp flesh with little residue, and is juicy and sweet. The single fruit weighs 200-300 g. The fruit is oblong, with 5 ribs. The ribs are thick, the edible rate is 96%, the quality is excellent, and it stores and transports well.
2. American red star fruit: The American red star fruit is similar to Malaysian star fruit. The tree shape is cylindrical, the small leaves are slightly hard and crisp, the long leaves are pink, and the inflorescence is purplish red. The single fruit weighs 150-250 g, and the fresh-eating quality is good.
Through the above introduction to star fruit seedling planting methods, do you now know how to plant them? Be sure to pay attention to the precautions during planting. Do not plant blindly, because that will not only fail to grow them well, but will also make the seedlings wither. So, do you understand?