A Detailed Guide to Pistachio Planting Methods and Technical Key Points

Pistachios are very popular with everyone. The economic value and medicinal value of pistachios are both relatively high, and many growers have begun to plant pistachios. So how do you plant pistachios?

1. Planting time for pistachio trees

Pistachio trees can be sown in spring or in autumn. Spring sowing requires sand storage treatment of the seeds, carried out in early to mid-March when the temperature reaches 10-15°C; autumn sowing is carried out from mid-October to late November, and the seeds do not need treatment.

2. Planting methods for pistachio trees

1. Growth habits: Pistachios like light and grow on sunny slopes at an altitude of 600 m-1,200 m, in deep calcareous soil; they grow particularly well in well-drained loose sandy loam. The plant is not tolerant of humidity and fears waterlogging.

2. Orchard site selection: Although pistachios are tolerant of poor soil, drought and cold, and are extremely adaptable, in production, plots with deep soil layers and well-aerated loam and sandy loam are chosen for planting. Because pistachios are highly susceptible to late frost damage, care should be taken to choose the middle part of hillsides, open flat land, valley land, and south-facing slopes sheltered from wind and facing the sun for orchard establishment, and do not establish the orchard on the windward side of the prevailing wind direction.

3. Seedling planting: The planting spacing for pistachios is preferably 3 m × 4 m or 4 m × 5 m, with 33-55 plants per mu. In dense planting orchards, 83-111 plants can be planted per mu. Both finished seedlings and bud seedlings can be used for planting. Before planting, dig planting holes 60 cm deep and 60 cm in diameter. When planting, keep the roots level with the ground, firm the soil while planting, and then irrigate thoroughly.

4. Fertilizer and water management: For scientific fertilization, young trees are given base fertilizer once a year, about 20 kg per plant. Bearing trees are fertilized once every 2-3 years. Fertilization during the year is generally divided into 3 applications. The first is preferably in early spring or autumn and winter, mainly with quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer. The second is during the fruit enlargement period, mainly with nitrogen and potassium fertilizers. The third is after fruit harvest, mainly with organic fertilizers such as compost and barnyard manure, usually applied in combination with deep plowing in autumn. Irrigate at the right time; winter irrigation before the onset of winter gives better results.

5. Training and pruning: Pistachios like light and have strong trunk dominance. In high-density orchards, the free spindle shape is often mainly used, while in low-density orchards, the natural open-center shape is mainly used. The first is the free spindle shape, characterized by a central trunk, with 10-15 main branches alternately borne at different positions on the central trunk, with the main branches maintaining 80-90 degrees with the trunk, and small and medium-sized fruiting branch groups borne directly on the main branches; the second is the natural open-center shape, whose main feature is good ventilation and light penetration, with a trunk height of about 40-50 cm, selecting and retaining 3-4 main branches on the trunk, with a base angle of 45-75 degrees, 2-4 side branches, and branch groups arranged on the side branches. Pistachios have strong branching ability, and the pruning principle is to thin more and cut less. Pistachios mainly bear fruit on short fruit branches. Young trees and trees in the early fruiting stage grow vigorously and have a relatively large number of medium and long fruit branches. Generally, when new shoots grow to about 50-60 cm, pinch the tips in time to promote secondary shoots and increase fruiting branches, retain back branches and upright branches, and twist the tips in time. Generally, the tree shape can be formed by the winter of the second year after planting.

6. Flower and fruit management: Strengthen comprehensive orchard management to enhance tree vigor, promote flower bud differentiation, and apply more organic fertilizer; rationally arrange pollinator trees. Pistachios are not self-fruitful. Generally, every 2 rows of the main cultivated variety are interplanted with 1 row of a pollinator variety, creating conditions for normal pollination of pistachios and helping to increase the fruit-setting rate.

Pistachios are still relatively easy to manage, and the economic benefits from growing them are also very good. If you want to plant pistachios, you can refer to the above content for planting.