Cultivation Methods and Key Technical Points for Wumei (Black Plum)

Wumei is both a fruit and a traditional Chinese medicine, with effects of protecting the stomach and intestines, delaying aging, and eliminating toxins. Today, the editor will introduce to you the cultivation methods of wumei.

1. Woodland preparation

Wumei has the characteristics of preferring warmth, moisture, and sunlight, being cold-tolerant, drought-resistant, and afraid of water. Its vitality is relatively tenacious, and it is not fussy about the soil of the planting site, but generally wumei planted in loose soil with sufficient fertility has better yield and quality. In particular, it is best not to plant wumei in heavy clay and saline-alkali land, as it is difficult to survive in such soil and there are many pests and diseases. The terrain of the planting site should be relatively high with good drainage, and the land should be finely prepared. Fertilisation should be carried out at the same time as land preparation, mainly with farmyard manure, with an appropriate amount of urea, phosphate fertiliser, potassium fertiliser and the like added. Trenches should be opened and beds made, with the beds about 1.5 m wide and 20 cm high, and then you can wait to sow.

2. Planting techniques

There are three ways to propagate wumei, namely seed propagation, grafting propagation, and cutting propagation, but the most commonly used method at present is still seed propagation. Seed propagation is generally carried out by spring sowing in April each year, sowing evenly at a row spacing of 25 cm, with the distance between each seed being about 6 to 8 cm, and finally covering the seeds with soil. Grafting propagation is generally carried out in early spring, as this gives a much higher survival rate, and rootstock suitable for grafting that is one to two years old is used. Cutting propagation, meanwhile, can be planted in early spring or at the autumn equinox. Before cutting, the cuttings should be soaked in rooting powder, as this can promote rooting. During the seedling period, the soil in the field should be kept moist.

3. Field management

It is best to transplant and establish wumei before budding in early spring, as this gives a much higher survival rate for transplanting. When transplanting, the plants are generally established at a row spacing of 3 m and a plant spacing of 2 m. After establishment, watering should be done reasonably. After the wumei has survived, attention should be paid to intertillage and weeding, and the moisture in the field should be controlled according to changes in the weather. Generally, topdressing is needed three times a year, and each topdressing is best carried out together with intertillage and watering, as this is conducive to the absorption of nutrients and promotes the growth of the root system. At the same time, wumei should be pruned and shaped at least once a year to achieve the effect of increasing yield.

4. Pest and disease control

The most important disease of wumei is anthracnose, which not only damages the fruit of wumei but also harms the branches, leaves and so on. In the early stage of the disease, thiophanate-methyl wettable powder or carbendazim can be used for control. Next there are also grey mould, plaster disease, and scab, which can be controlled with procymidone wettable powder and thiophanate-methyl wettable powder respectively. There are also insect pests that harm the growth of wumei, including aphids, longhorn beetles, globular scale insects, and slug moths, which can be sprayed and killed with pyrethroid insecticides.

The above is the cultivation method of wumei compiled for you by the editor of Tuliu.com. I hope it can help you!