A Detailed Guide to the Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods of Chicken-Heart Wampee

The scientific name of the chicken-heart wampee is wampee (Clausena lansium), a fruit rich in vitamin C that generally ripens and comes to market in July-August. So what exactly are the cultivation techniques for chicken-heart wampee?

1. Growth habits of chicken-heart wampee

The chicken-heart wampee is a small tree of the Rutaceae family and the genus Clausena, reaching a height of up to 12 m. It is one of the fruits of southern China, generally flowering in April-May each year and fruiting in July-August.

The chicken-heart wampee is native to southern China and is cultivated in Taiwan, China, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, southern Guizhou, Yunnan and the Jinsha River valley in Sichuan. Wampee is a fruit that thrives in a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight. It is not demanding about soil, and loose, fertile loam is best for planting.

2. Cultivation techniques for chicken-heart wampee

1. Site selection: choose sloping land rich in organic matter, fertile and with deep soil, or land with convenient irrigation and drainage for planting;

2. Planting: at the appropriate time, plant chicken-heart wampee at a certain row spacing, and water thoroughly after planting;

3. Field management: fertilize promptly after the chicken-heart wampee sets fruit, and water according to the growth of the plant.

The planting density is generally: row spacing 3.3 m × 4.0 m, about 50 plants per 667 sq m.

In hilly orchards, in autumn and winter each year, combine the application of organic fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer with expanded-hole deep digging to improve the soil's physical and chemical properties and raise soil fertility. In paddy-field orchards, mounding can be used to thicken the plow layer; generally, in autumn and winter each year, dried pond mud is used for one round of mounding.

The types and amounts of fertilizer applied are mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, together with trace elements; for organic fertilizer, well-rotted high-quality barnyard manure or bran fertilizer may be used, while for inorganic fertilizer, high-quality ternary compound fertilizer, urea, potassium chloride, etc. may be selected.