How much does it cost to grow dragon fruit? A detailed guide to growing techniques
In summer, everyone tends to enjoy eating fruit. Dragon fruit aids digestion and is not too expensive. In recent years, as market demand has risen, more and more farmers have started growing it. So what are the techniques for growing dragon fruit? How much investment does it require? Let's take a look together!
I. Growing dragon fruit
1. Temperature: Dragon fruit is not afraid of high temperatures but is afraid of low temperatures. It requires an average annual temperature of no less than 18°C, an average January temperature of no less than 8°C, and an extreme low temperature of -3°C with a duration of no more than 6 hours. The optimum growing temperature is 25-35°C. Growth stops when the temperature is below 10°C or above 38°C.
2. Soil: Dragon fruit is not very strict about soil standards, and it can survive in many growing locations. However, to ensure the survival rate and quality of dragon fruit, it is best to choose a location with good drainage.
3. Water: Although dragon fruit is a drought-tolerant plant, it still needs water during its growth process. Therefore, the growing site should not be short of water year-round, as this will slow down the growth of dragon fruit and, in severe cases, may cause it to wither.
4. Light: Dragon fruit is a typical sun-loving plant and likes warm, direct sunlight. If the light duration is long and the sunlight is sufficient, photosynthesis is especially vigorous, the fleshy stems are thick and dark green, and there are many flowers and large fruits with high yield. Conversely, the amount of fruit produced decreases significantly.
5. Fertilizer: Dragon fruit grows quickly, and the fertilizer needed throughout its entire growth cycle must be sufficient. In the early growth stage, enough nitrogen fertilizer should be supplied to help the plant grow tall and strong quickly. In the middle and late stages of plant growth, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers should be applied in a more balanced way to increase the plant's photosynthesis.
II. How much investment does dragon fruit cultivation require?
The investment in dragon fruit cultivation is relatively low. Taking the cultivation of one mu as an example, growing one mu of dragon fruit requires building 110 cement posts, generally 15-20 yuan each, totaling 2200 yuan. Generally, four seedlings are planted per post, requiring 440 seedlings. Ordinary red-fleshed varieties cost 3-5 yuan each, while the more expensive red crystal variety is estimated to cost 10 yuan per seedling. Calculating with ordinary red-fleshed varieties, this costs 2200 yuan. Adding labor and fertilizer at 1200 yuan/mu, the initial investment is 5600 yuan/mu.
III. How much income does dragon fruit cultivation generate?
The average annual purchase price of dragon fruit is generally 5-6 yuan/jin for red-fleshed dragon fruit and 3-4 yuan/jin for white-fleshed dragon fruit. Calculating based on a yield of 3000-4000 jin/mu for red-fleshed dragon fruit and 4000-5000 jin/mu for red-fleshed dragon fruit, the gross income from growing one mu of red-fleshed dragon fruit is 15000 yuan (calculated at the lowest yield and price, the same below), and the gross income from growing one mu of white-fleshed dragon fruit is 12000 yuan. After subtracting costs, the income from one mu of dragon fruit is around 10000 yuan.
That is all that Tuliu.com has summarized and organized for everyone today regarding dragon fruit cultivation issues and investment ratios. The above figures and amounts are only reference values, and everyone still needs to measure them according to local standards.