How to Grow Longan? It's Not Hard Once You Master Six Key Cultivation Techniques

Longan, which is what we call guiyuan, is one of many people's favorite fruits. It can also be dried, and the processed fruit tastes even sweeter. It can be used to make soup or eaten directly. At present, it is grown relatively widely in southern China, because longan likes warmth and cannot tolerate cold, and in recent years more and more people have been growing it. In fact, longan is not hard to grow; the key is to master six key cultivation techniques.

1. How much is longan per jin on the market?

Longan prices have always fluctuated noticeably, though in recent years they have been relatively more stable. Overall, its price in China generally shows a trend of gradually increasing from south to north. Generally, in Guangdong, close to the place of origin, the price is around 4-6 yuan, and the cheap wholesale price is only around 3 yuan; farther north, in the Hunan and Hubei areas, the price fluctuates around 10 yuan, with wholesale prices generally fluctuating around 5 yuan. Farther north, in areas such as Shandong, the price stabilizes at a selling price of 13-15 yuan, while the wholesale price fluctuates greatly. Overall, the selling price is relatively close to everyone's daily consumption level.

2. Longan cultivation techniques

1. Selection of planting site: For planting longan, choose mountain land with sufficient sunlight, good air circulation, and deep soil layers (red soil, sandy soil, or clay soil is best, with a pH value of 5-6 and organic matter content above 2%), free from freezing damage and wind damage, and with a slope below 15 degrees. It is best if there is a sufficient nearby water source available for use.

2. Preparation of planting holes: Create a deep rooting soil layer for longan by digging large planting holes, applying fertilizer, and improving the soil. For newly planted longan, dig large planting holes of 1 m * 1 m * 0.8 m, and put in 10 kg of green manure, 30 kg of organic fertilizer mud, and 0.5 kg of quicklime. Place 10-15 kg of decomposed poultry and livestock manure in the upper layer, backfill a certain amount of topsoil, and after 2-3 months of composting and maturation, it can be planted. This makes the planting holes fertile, deep, rich in organic matter, and well aerated, laying a good foundation for longan growth.

3. Setting up drainage and irrigation ditches: On both sides of the main paths and main roads of the longan staking holes, dig longitudinal water ditches 50-60 cm deep and wide, connecting in the middle with the back ditches and cross drainage ditches of terraces at all levels. To reduce rainwater erosion, the longitudinal water ditches should be built in a bamboo-joint shape or have weeds growing at the bottom of the ditches. For every 15-20 mu, set up one water storage pond and one fertilizer water pond each measuring 3 m * 5 m * 1.5 m, to facilitate irrigation, pesticide application, and composting of fertilizer water.

4. Planting method: Planting can be carried out according to the characteristics of the longan variety. Generally, plant 15-30 longan trees per mu; do not blindly pursue dwarfing and close planting. The planting time is around Qingming Festival when temperatures rise, or before spring shoots sprout. The planting depth is related to the seedling stage. For air-layered seedlings, the soil covering depth should be about 5 cm higher than the original soil ball. Never plant too deep or trample hard, which can cause root breakage. After planting, water each tree with 10-15 kg of settling water.

5. Management of young trees

① Fertilization: Longan trees can be fertilized 1 month after planting. It is recommended to implement “two fertilizers per flush”, that is, apply the 1st fertilizer when the terminal bud of the branch shoot begins to sprout, and apply the 2nd fertilizer when the new shoot has basically stopped elongating and the leaf color changes from red to green. In addition, apply winter fertilizer mainly based on organic manure in November-December each year.

② Pruning: In the 1-3 years after planting, longan trees are mainly pruned lightly. At a trunk height of about 30-50 cm, cultivate 3-4 main branches that are evenly distributed and grow vigorously. Afterward, the main branches naturally extend, and overly dense branches and diseased or pest-damaged branches are cut off, so that they form a three-dimensional fruiting canopy.

6. Management of fruiting trees

① Flower-promoting fertilizer: Generally applied from December to before February of the following year. Calculated for a tree bearing 10 kg of fruit, apply 200-250 g of sulfur-containing compound fertilizer, 100-150 g of urea, 200 g of raw bran powder, 400-500 g of superphosphate, plus 10-20 kg of poultry and livestock manure (mix and compost for 1 month before application). Combined with winter orchard cleaning, apply 1-1.5 kg of quicklime per tree.

② Fruit-strengthening fertilizer: From after flower drop to before the 1st physiological fruit drop, calculated for 10 kg of fruit, apply 100-200 g of urea, 200-250 g of compound fertilizer, and 250-300 g of potassium chloride per tree.

③ Pre-fruiting fertilizer: Apply before the end of June. Estimated for 10 kg of fruit set, apply 200 g of urea and 250 g of compound fertilizer per tree.

④ Shoot-pushing fertilizer: During the growth period of summer shoots and autumn shoots after fruit harvest, calculated for a tree capable of bearing 10 kg, first apply 200 g of raw bran powder and 10 kg of decomposed poultry and livestock manure within 7 days after fruit harvest, then apply fertilizer once each when the new shoots of each flush begin to sprout and when the new shoots begin to turn green, applying 100-200 g of urea per tree.

⑤ Watering method: Before flowering (after autumn shoots mature to the late stage of flower bud differentiation), keep the soil relatively dry. From the flowering period to the autumn shoot sprouting period, keep the soil moist and ensure balanced water supply. In drought, irrigate (or sprinkle water); in rain, promptly drain accumulated water.

⑥ Shoot control and flower promotion: Before winter shoots sprout (between Minor Cold and Major Cold), carry out girdling treatment on the trunk with a diameter of about 8-10 cm. For new shoots that emerge after November, remove them manually below 10 cm, or spray and kill them with ethephon solution or other shoot-killing chemicals when they are below 5 cm. For fruit trees that may sprout winter shoots but have not yet done so, spray paclobutrazol in mid-to-late December to inhibit winter shoot sprouting.

⑦ Flower strengthening and fruit preservation: Ring cut or shorten flower panicles to delay flowering time so as to avoid flowering in rainy weather. Spray compound nucleotide fruit-preserving agent during the flowering period to increase fruit set rate and prolong the flowering period. Release bees and attract flies, shake flowers after rain, spray water in dry weather, and perform artificial pollination, etc.