A Complete Guide to Dahongpao Sichuan Pepper Cultivation Techniques
Dahongpao Sichuan pepper is a variety with relatively strong resistance and is grown in many regions of our country. Its current price is also relatively high, so it has certain cultivation prospects. What are the Dahongpao Sichuan pepper cultivation techniques?
1. Seed selection
The selected mother tree must be a vigorous, heavily bearing, high and stable yielding, good quality, pest- and disease-free tree in full fruiting, generally a 10-15 year old tree. If using seeds, harvest is generally done when the outer skin of the fruit has all turned dark red and the seed coat has become blue-black and glossy. Seed collection is generally carried out in early August. After collecting, spread the Sichuan pepper in a thin layer for sun drying. When the fruit skin splits, gently tap with a wooden stick to collect the seeds, then place them in a ventilated, dry place to dry in the shade for use in raising seedlings.
2. Sowing and seedling raising
(1) Sowing time: from early to mid-October until before the soil freezes. The seeds overwinter in the soil, which both promotes germination and eliminates the need for seed storage over winter, and compared with spring sowing the seedlings emerge more uniformly and 10-15 days earlier.
(2) Sowing method: in a prepared seedbed (1 m wide, 5-10 m long), evenly scatter the water-selected seeds over the surface of the bed, then cover with 1 cm of fine soil, and then cover with straw and other materials to keep the seedbed moist, removing them after the seedlings emerge. Sow about 30 kg of selected seeds per mu.
(3) Seedling stage management: after emergence, weed promptly and strictly prevent weed overgrowth to favor seedling growth. When the seedlings reach 4-5 cm in height and have 3-4 true leaves, thin them. When the seedlings are about 10 cm tall, final thinning is carried out, leaving about 30,000 seedlings per mu.
During the seedling stage, irrigate promptly. Combined with irrigation, broadcast 5-10 kg of urea per mu. In the later growth stage, control fertilizer and water. When there is excessive rain and the seedlings grow wildly, carry out chemical regulation to favor lignification and safe overwintering.
3. Transplanting
(1) Transplanting time: for autumn and winter planting, carry out after leaf fall and before the soil freezes, and pay attention to hilling soil for frost protection. In spring, carry out after the soil thaws and before bud break.
(2) Planting density: when planting in a single row on terrace ridges and field edges, the plant spacing is 3-4 m. For whole-block planting, 50-80 plants per mu, with row spacings of 3×4 m, 3×3.5 m, 2.5×4 m. For ecological economic forest planting, 110 plants per mu, with a spacing of 2×3 m.
4. Management techniques after planting
(1) Training and pruning: the main high-yielding tree form is the open-center form with a trunk. This tree form makes full use of the biological characteristics of the Sichuan pepper tree and has the advantages of rapid formation, early fruiting, good ventilation and light penetration, resistance to pests and diseases, and high yield. After field planting, head the tree at a plump bud 30-40 cm above the ground. In the second year, for the 3-4 selected main branches, use pulling, bending and other methods to open the angle, then remove the originally retained auxiliary branches. In the third spring, cut back branches over 50 cm by 1/3, which forms a large number of flower buds.
(2) Reasonable fertilization: applying base fertilizer in autumn after harvesting the pepper is best. Generally, topdressing is done twice a year. The first time, before budding and flower bud appearance, is mainly nitrogen fertilizer with an appropriate combination of phosphorus fertilizer. The second time, from the end of May to early June, is mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. When fertilizing, for young trees ring-shaped and radial ditch application are best. For trees in full fruiting, whole-orchard broadcast application with deep plowing or spot hole application is suitable.
(3) Pest and disease control: Sichuan pepper mainly requires control of aphids, scale insects, narrow jewel beetles, leaf-mining flea beetles, red spider mites and anthracnose, so control measures should be well carried out during the planting period. For those already affected by pests or diseases, apply the appropriate remedy promptly.