When Do Longans Ripen and Hit the Market? A Detailed Guide to High-Yield Cultivation Methods

Longan is one of the most widely cultivated fruits from southwestern to southeastern China, also known as guiyuan, Sanchi Nongwei, and Yizhi; it is a nutritious fruit suitable for all ages. So when does it generally ripen and hit the market? How should it be planted to achieve high yields?

1. When do longans generally ripen and hit the market?

Longans are widely cultivated from southwestern to southeastern China, most extensively in Guangdong, followed by Fujian, and they are also partly cultivated in the Hainan region. Because the climate and weather differ from place to place, the times when longans ripen and hit the market also differ slightly.

1. The longan marketing time in the Guangdong region is generally from July to October each year; among these, the ripening period of longans in the Shenzhen area is from mid-July to late August; the ripening period of Shixia longan in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong is early to mid-August.

2. The ripening time of longans in the Fujian region is from late July to late August; the ripening time of Fuyan longan in Jinjiang, Nan'an, and Quanzhou is from late August to early September.

3. The ripening and marketing time of longans in the Hainan region is from March to July.

2. How should longans be planted to achieve high yields?

Longans are generally grown by raising rootstock seedlings through seedling propagation, then propagating by grafting. In addition to seedlings and planting conditions, the planting method is also a very important factor affecting high longan yields, so the high-yield cultivation methods are summarized below:

1. Grafting of longan saplings

For longans, seeds are collected in July and August from mother trees with strong adaptability and few pests and diseases, sown immediately after collection, and after 1-2 years of cultivation, grafting is carried out in spring (April-June) or autumn (September-October), using either the bud patch grafting method or the tongue grafting method.

2. Planting of longan saplings

The best time to plant longan saplings is in spring or autumn, using rectangular or square planting. About 2,600 longan saplings per hectare, with a row spacing of about 4 m. In addition, longan trees are best planted in a sheltered spot, on plots with fertile soil, loose texture, and deep soil layers.

3. Fertilization management of longan saplings

When planting longan trees, in addition to applying a certain amount of farmyard manure as base fertilizer when plowing the soil, before planting you can add some river mud, field soil, burned soil, as well as some decomposed farmyard manure, superphosphate, and plant ash. In addition, from late February to early March of the first year, decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer and potassium sulfate need to be applied, and from late March to early April, a certain amount of flower-strengthening fertilizer should be applied. From mid-May to early June, according to the amount of fruit set, fruit-strengthening fertilizer should also be applied; in addition, a certain amount of foliar fertilizer should be topdressed.

4. Watering management of longan saplings

After planting, longan saplings should be watered 1-2 times a day; in seasons with more rainfall, the number of waterings should be reduced, and if there is too much standing water, timely drainage measures need to be taken.

5. Pruning of longan trees and pest and disease control

Longan trees should be pruned in spring and autumn, cutting off overly dense branches, dead and old branches, diseased and pest-damaged branches, and leggy branches. In addition, flower thinning should be carried out in mid-March, and fruit thinning from late May to early June. During planting management, control of bald branch disease, stink bugs, and the like should be carried out, using different agents for different situations.

When controlling diseases and pests in longan saplings, everyone should focus more on biological control; this is very good for protecting the environment and developing pollution-free fruit, and it can also increase the economic value of longans, so it can be said to kill two birds with one stone.