A Complete Guide to the Full Cultivation Technique of Dragon Fruit
Dragon fruit (Latin name: Hylocereus undulatus Britt), also known as red dragon fruit, dragon pearl fruit, immortal honey fruit, and jade dragon fruit. A plant of the Cactaceae family and the genus Hylocereus. The fruit is oval-shaped, 10-12 cm in diameter, red or yellow in appearance, with green rounded triangular scale-like bracts, white, red or yellow flesh, and black seeds. Dragon fruit is rich in nutrients and has unique properties; it contains plant albumin and anthocyanins rarely found in ordinary plants, along with abundant vitamins and water-soluble dietary fiber. Dragon fruit is a cooling fruit; under natural conditions, the fruit matures in summer and autumn, and is sweet and juicy.
1. Site selection and soil requirements
The suitable growing temperature for dragon fruit is 25-35°C, and it can be planted anywhere south of the Tropic of Cancer. Planting requires selecting loose, fertile sandy loam soil with good aggregate structure, a pH value of 6-7.5, and good drainage.
2. Planting and support
Dragon fruit can be planted all year round, but March to November is preferable. In terms of variety selection, in the Meixian area, excellent varieties such as Baiyu Longguo and Zhulong can be chosen; be sure to use grafted seedlings. Interplanting two varieties can increase the fruit-setting rate. Before planting, cement poles must be erected as supports for the growth of dragon fruit. The specifications of the cement poles are 10 cm×10 cm×210 cm, the pole body must contain steel bars, and a pair of symmetrical small holes should be made at the top for future use in setting up supports. The row spacing specification for erecting cement poles is 2 m×3 m, with 110 poles erected per mu, each cement pole buried 50 cm underground, with 160 cm above ground. Each mu of orchard is planted with 440 seedlings, with 1 plant around each cement pole. After the fruit seedlings grow, they are tied to the cement poles so that they grow upward.
3. Fertilizer, water and soil management
The root system of dragon fruit grows relatively shallowly, and the roots 2-5 cm below the soil surface are the most actively growing, so fertilizer, water and soil management should be carried out according to this characteristic. Dragon fruit is relatively drought-tolerant and averse to waterlogging, but its rapid growth still requires sufficient water, so it should be watered thoroughly, watering toward the roots, and the whole plant should not be drenched or the field flooded; flooding can cause root death from lack of oxygen. Fertilization is mainly based on decomposed farmyard manure, and the best formula is a 1:2:7 mixture of oil cake residue, chicken manure, and pig manure; the amount of fertilizer applied depends on the growth situation and soil fertility. During the stages of new branch growth and flowering and fruiting, quick-acting nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers can be applied as a supplementary dressing, and the fertilization method is mostly drenching. Plants after fruit set are generally fertilized 4 times in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, with the effects being to promote sprouting, promote spring shoot growth, promote flowering and fruiting, and restore vigor after harvest, respectively. The soil should be kept loose, and loosening the soil can be carried out together with fertilization and weeding, without damaging the root system. For the aerial roots on the above-ground part, measures such as guiding and tying can be used to lead them to the ground and let them take root into the soil, enhancing the plant's absorption function and promoting growth.
4. Training and pruning
During the seedling stage of dragon fruit, keep one main branch growing upward and remove other side branches. After the fruit seedling grows along the cement pole to a height of 1.5 m, the top branches spread out in all directions in an umbrella shape. At the top of the cement pole, a circle is tied with steel wire for guiding, fixing, and supporting the plant. After the fruit seedling grows vigorously, select 2/3 of the branches to be guided downward as fruiting branches, and 1/3 of the branches to grow upward as vegetative branches and backup fruiting branches. Old branches after fruiting are gradually thinned out.
5. Pest and disease control
Dragon fruit has relatively few pests and diseases and is an environmentally friendly green food. The main pests and diseases include: rot disease, termites, red and yellow spiders, scale insects, etc. Among them, the more threatening one is rot disease, which is mainly caused by insect wounds or mechanical injuries. The treatment method is to cut off the diseased part with a knife or cut open the diseased part to drain it on a high-temperature sunny day. For other pests and diseases, simply choose the corresponding pesticide and spray for control.
6. Harvest
After the top branches droop and mature, they will bloom and set fruit from April to November each year, and the fruit can be harvested when mature 35-45 days after fruit set. The branches, fresh flowers, dried flowers, and fruits of dragon fruit can all be supplied to the market as commodities.