How Many Years Can Chayote Live? A Detailed Explanation of the Chayote Lifespan

Under reasonable planting conditions, chayote can live for about 30 years. Its seeds have no dormancy period; if they are not harvested in time after maturing, the seeds will quickly germinate inside the fruit. This is also a major characteristic of chayote, known as “vivipary”.

Fertilization management for chayote:

1. Fertilization at the seedling stage

Chayote is generally grown by raising seedlings and then transplanting them. At the seedling stage, the nutrient requirement is not great, and the plant can absorb what it needs for growth from the seedling-raising nutrient soil.

2. Base fertilizer at planting

Because the chayote root system is shallowly distributed, fertilizer should be concentrated in the top 20 cm of soil. When fertilizing, note that within a 2 sq m circular area centered on the planting hole, the fertilizer should be mixed and spread on the soil, then turned into the soil to a depth of about 20 cm and stirred evenly.

3. Topdressing should be early rather than late

Topdressing is also called vine-promoting fertilizer. Generally, about 1 month after planting, topdressing with vine-promoting fertilizer begins. Moreover, the timing of topdressing should be early rather than late. Apply 1 kg of compound fertilizer or 5 kg of decomposed human waste and urine, plus 0.5 kg of superphosphate, per plant. Open a ring-shaped trench 30-40 cm away from the vine and apply it into the shallow soil layer.

The second topdressing is carried out 1 month after the previous topdressing. When fertilizing, be sure to keep away from the vine as required, so as to avoid opening trenches too close for fertilization, which would damage a large number of chayote roots in the shallow soil layer and affect normal growth.

The third topdressing is about 20 days after the second, and it should be even farther from the vine. Open a trench or broadcast the fertilizer more than 90 cm away. The application amount should depend on the growth of the vine; for those with good growth vigor, the application amount is the same as the second time; if the vine growth vigor is poor, the amount may be adjusted as appropriate.

In addition, within 1 month after planting, chayote should not be fertilized and only needs light watering. During the summer-overcoming period, more water is needed to ensure the moisture level of the planting soil. During the peak flowering and fruiting period, the soil moisture must be ensured even more to support growth and fruit setting.