How to Grow Ground Cherries? A Detailed Guide to Ground Cherry Cultivation Techniques
The ground cherry, also known as Goli, Yangguliang, downy groundcherry, golden cherry, or Manchurian milk fruit, is an annual plant of the Solanaceae family. The ground cherry's berry is a premium new type of nutritious and health-promoting “herbal fruit” that combines both edible and medicinal uses. Below, the editor will explain the cultivation techniques for ground cherries.
I. Choosing the Plot
It is suitable to grow ground cherries on black oil-sand soil plots with medium fertility, loose texture, good structure, easy drainage, shelter from wind and full sun, and a relatively thick soil layer. 4.2 Choosing the previous crop: the best preceding crops are millet and corn. 4.3 Land preparation: generally, plow in autumn to a depth of 25-30cm; in early spring when the soil thaws to a depth of 13-17cm, plow in a timely manner, harrow and level finely, and compact with a stone roller. 4.4 Ridging: ground cherries should be grown on wide ridges. Apply base fertilizer and form wide ridges one month before planting ground cherries, with a ridge spacing of 90-130cm and a ridge height of 25-30cm. Wide-ridge cultivation makes ground cherries develop quickly, ripen 3-5 days earlier, and increase yield by more than 5%.
II. Fertilization
The amount of fertilizer applied in the field for ground cherries should be considered comprehensively based on the soil, variety habits, planting density, water conservancy conditions, and so on. Generally, apply 1500kg of barnyard manure and 30kg of three-element compound fertilizer per mu. Mix the farm manure and chemical fertilizer as base fertilizer and apply when forming ridges. After flowering and fruit setting, appropriately spray foliar fertilizer.
III. Transplanting
Reasonable close planting: wide ridge spacing of 90cm, double rows of staggered seedlings, small row spacing of 30cm, plant spacing of 50cm, maintaining about 3500 plants per mu.
Timely transplanting: when the temperature at a soil depth of 10cm reaches 10°C and shows a gradually rising trend, carry out film-mulched transplanting.
IV. Pest and Disease Control
White grubs: use 15kg of soybeans per ha, 1kg of zinc sulfur phosphorus mixed with 5kg of water, air-dry, then place 5-6 grains per planting hole, apply at a spot 10cm diagonally below the root system, then cover with soil and plant the seedlings.
Cutworms: use a 1000-fold dilution of 5% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate to spray on the soil surface around the rhizosphere or drench the roots, 200-250ml per plant.
Powdery mildew: when diseased plants are found, control them promptly by spraying with a 1000-fold dilution of 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder or a 500-800-fold dilution of 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder.
Ground cherries have strong growth vigor, are easy to cultivate, and have high edible value. Farmers who want to grow them can give it a try.