Attention, fruit growers: this guava planting method can make your "money prospects" promising!
Guava, commonly known as baale, is a delicious and nutritious fruit. It is currently mostly cultivated in the warm regions of southern China. Many fruit growers report that when they grow guava, the yield always stays low, the quality is not high, the market price cannot be raised, and they cannot make money. It can be seen that growing guava is not a simple matter either. Below, I will share with you the guava planting method, which may make your “money prospects” promising!
1. Clearing and preparing the land
First, clear weeds and debris from the planned orchard. Then carry out full clearing to a depth of 40 cm, let the soil be fully exposed to the sun, then plow and harrow so the soil is fine and loose. On flat land, plant on double rows or single rows of ridges.
2. Digging holes and applying base fertilizer
Digging the holes should be done one month before planting, and large holes should be dug according to the plant and row spacing. The planting hole specification is 80 cm wide and 60 cm deep. When digging the holes, keep the topsoil and subsoil separate. After the holes have been exposed to the sun for about 15 days, begin backfilling. When backfilling, first return topsoil to the hole until it is half full, then add about 0.3 kg of phosphate fertilizer per hole (crush and sieve before application and mix evenly with organic fertilizer), and about 15 kg of fully decomposed and crushed organic fertilizer (cow manure, pig manure, chicken manure), etc., mix evenly with topsoil and return it to the hole, then return topsoil and tread it firm, waiting for planting.
3. Planting
Planting can be done in spring, summer, and autumn throughout the year, but spring is best. After spring planting, the temperature gradually rises, the light is not intense, and rain gradually increases, so the survival rate is high and growth is fast. Generally, the plant spacing is 2.5 m and the row spacing is 3.5 m. Plant 76 plants per mu. First, before planting, spray the seedlings with metalaxyl solution for disinfection and disease prevention treatment. Then, in the planting hole that has been backfilled and treaded firm, dig a small hole about 20 cm deep, evenly scatter 30-50 g of 3% Haoniandong granules into the small hole (to prevent young trees from being damaged by root-knot nematodes), cover the pesticide with a little soil, and finally plant.
The planting depth should be such that the soil surface just covers the original nursery bag soil, and water thoroughly.
4. Post-planting management
One month after planting, fertilizer management can begin, applying fertilizer once a month. A humic acid compound fertilizer such as Jiamei Yinglilai is preferred, applying 10-15 kg each time. When the young tree grows to 60 cm tall, cut off the main trunk about 45 cm above the ground to promote new shoot sprouting, then keep 4-6 evenly distributed branches. After each branch grows to more than 70 cm, bend the branches manually to about 45 degrees to promote new shoots from the lower part. When the new shoots grow to about 30 cm, pinch off the tips to promote early greening of the new shoots and another round of new shoot sprouting. The main diseases and pests of young trees are damping-off disease and root-knot nematodes. One month after planting, spray once to prevent disease. If nematode damage is found, control it promptly, and at the same time do a good job of weed control to ensure normal growth of the young trees.
5. Fertilization
Fruiting trees need to be fertilized 2-3 times per month with the humic acid water-soluble fertilizer Jiamei Yinglilai. Open shallow trenches along the tree drip line and apply with irrigation water, and at the same time spray Jiamei Nao Baijin 800-fold solution 2-3 times. In early April each year, apply a heavy dose of decomposed organic fertilizer, 15-20 kg per plant, in shallow ring trenches.
6. Pruning
Pruning fruiting trees is, first, to control excessive vigor and promote strong fruiting branches so as to achieve high yield; second, to facilitate growth operations and management and prevent diseases and pests. Guava pruning is light first and heavy later. That is, prune lightly before fruiting and prune heavily after the full fruiting period. After entering the full fruiting period, reproductive growth becomes dominant and vegetative growth weakens. Heavier pruning can promote new shoots, promptly shorten large branches and main branches, and maintain the balance between vegetative growth and reproductive growth.
Carry out one major pruning at the end of April each year, leaving vigorous branches about 40 cm long, and at the same time cut off dead branches, residual branches, crossing branches, and diseased and pest-infested branches. If the plant grows vigorously after pruning, pinch off the tips after the fruit-setting node so that new shoots sprout from the leaf axils below the fruit and tree vigor is controlled. For weak-growing plants, focus on expanding the canopy, pinch off the tips of non-fruiting shoots at 30 cm to promote them to become fruiting mother branches. In addition, after harvesting fruit in winter, cut off dead branches, residual branches, crossing branches, and diseased and pest-infested branches.
7. Keeping flowers and removing flowers
Under normal conditions, guava can retain flowers and set fruit after 8 months. From flowering and fruit set to fruit maturity takes about 85 days, and about 115 days in winter. Generally, the period during the year when it is not allowed to bear heavily is June, July, and August. During this period, because the temperature is high, the fruit quality is poor and the commercial value is not high, so remove the flowers that open from March to the end of May, and begin retaining flowers from June to let it set fruit.
8. Flower thinning, fruit thinning, and bagging
When preparing to retain flowers and set fruit, flowers must first be thinned, then fruit thinned, and finally bagged. Normal flower thinning and fruit thinning require: keep the single inflorescence on new shoots; for two flowers clustered together, remove the small flower; for three flowers clustered together, remove the left and right flowers and keep the middle stalkless flower. In principle, one fruit per fruiting branch is enough after fruit thinning, but if the branch grows vigorously and the leaves are large and thick, two may be kept. After fruit thinning, when the young fruit diameter is about 1.5 cm, bagging must be carried out. If bagged too early, the young fruit is too small and bagging is difficult; if the fruit is too large, it is easily damaged by diseases and pests, and bagging loses its meaning. Before bagging, spray once with a systemic fungicide to prevent disease, then bag immediately. The bagging method is to first put on a foam net sleeve, then put on a 0.2 mm thick non-toxic polyethylene film bag (bag length about 25 cm, width about 20 cm), and then tie the bag opening tightly against the fruit stalk.
9. Fruit harvesting
Guava flowering periods differ, and maturity periods also differ, so attention should be paid to observation and timely harvesting should be carried out. Generally, in summer and autumn, fruit can mature after about 60 days of bagging, while in winter it can only be picked after about 85 days of bagging. When picking, remove the fruit together with the bag to ensure the fruit is not damaged.
10. Main disease and pest control
► Damping-off disease: Because the known invading damping-off pathogen exists near the vascular bundles, chemical control is extremely difficult, so the policy of giving priority to prevention and integrated control should be implemented.
① Choose disease-free seedlings for planting.
② Improve the drainage and irrigation system so that the soil maintains good permeability and the spread of pathogens is reduced.
③ Diseased branches and dead plants should be promptly removed from the orchard and burned to reduce opportunities for infection and spread.
④ Increase the application of composted and decomposed organic fertilizer.
⑤ After pruning and when the rainy season arrives, spray the whole orchard once to sterilize it.
⑥ After disease occurs, promptly cut off diseased branches and use 80% basic copper sulfate wettable powder 600-fold to 800-fold solution, spraying once every 10-12 days for 3-4 consecutive times, or benomyl, amobam, etc. may also be used.
► Fruit anthracnose: Spray with 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder 800-1000-fold solution or 80% mancozeb wettable powder 600-800-fold solution. Once every 7-10 days, for 3-4 consecutive times.
► Aphids: Spray with 2.5% Gongfu emulsifiable concentrate 2000-3000-fold solution or 10% imidacloprid 1000-fold solution
► New shoot pests: Use 50% phoxim oil 1000-fold solution, once every 7-10 days, for two consecutive times, and at the same time cut off and burn the damaged new shoots.