Can Durian Trees Survive in the North? A Detailed Guide to Seedling Prices and Planting Methods
Durian tree, an evergreen tree. It is one of the famous tropical fruits. Native to Malaysia, it is also found in Guangdong and Hainan in China. So can it survive in the north? How much does a seedling cost? What are the planting methods? According to a seedling base in Hainan, durian seedlings are not common in the flower and plant market; generally, a one-year yellow-fleshed seedling averages 5.56 yuan per plant; a two-year yellow-fleshed one costs 8.5 to 8.8 yuan; a 4-year seedling costs 13.5 yuan per plant.
Can durian trees survive in the north?
Durian can be grown in greenhouses in the north, but durian needs a year-round high-temperature climate to grow and bear fruit.
1. Durian is a purely tropical crop, and the phenological characteristics of durian require an average daily temperature above 22°C where it grows. It can be planted in frost-free areas. Even in equatorial regions, at elevations above 600 m, due to the drop in temperature, durian cannot be planted or cannot bear fruit.
2. Durian is commonly propagated by seed, but durian has great genetic variability, and each seed may produce ten kinds of fruit of different quality, and the quality varies; inferior durian can produce very excellent varieties. Likewise, good durian can also produce inferior varieties, and some seed-grown durian never bear fruit in their lifetime. In order to cultivate excellent varieties, ensure purity of the variety, and achieve early fruiting and high yield, grafting is mostly used to propagate durian.
3. The rootstock can be any size, as long as it has already become woody and the bark can be easily peeled open; the height of the insertion point can be chosen freely, and the cutting process is similar to bud grafting. Select a strong, tender shoot about 10 cm long that has not yet opened leaves and has not become woody as the scion. The slanted cut of the scion should be slightly shorter than the rootstock incision. Insert it into the rootstock incision, tie it with plastic tape, then wrap it tightly with transparent plastic paper, and place it in a cool place. After two weeks, cut open the plastic paper, but the tape must not be removed until the shoot has grown.
4. Bearing trees should be fertilized mainly once a year, namely the spring flower-bud fertilizer, the summer fruit-swelling fertilizer, and the pre-harvest fertilizer, with particular attention to applying the fruit-swelling fertilizer well. After harvesting the fruit, apply an organic fertilizer deeply once.
What are the planting methods for durian trees?
1. The row spacing for sowing is preferably 20 cm x 20 cm. During the seedling growth period, attention should be paid to weeding, and fertilization should be combined to promote seedling growth. Excellent mother plants can be propagated by air layering, which roots very easily; from ringing the branch to becoming a seedling takes only 60-70 days.
2. When the planting seedlings are 30-40 cm tall, they can be planted out, with a row spacing of preferably 3 m x 5 m, applying organic fertilizer, farmyard manure, and an appropriate amount of lime as base fertilizer. Planting can be done throughout the year, and planting with soil attached is best.
3. Fertilization management: bearing trees should be mainly fertilized once a year, namely the spring flower-bud fertilizer, the summer fruit-swelling fertilizer, and the pre-harvest fertilizer, with particular attention to applying the fruit-swelling fertilizer well. After harvesting the fruit, apply an organic fertilizer deeply once.
4. Shaping and pruning: because the sprouting ability is very strong, attention should be paid to shaping 1-2 years after planting, and timely pruning after harvesting the fruit, so as to maintain a good tree shape.
5. Harvesting: when the fruit turns orange-yellow or orange-red, it is ripe and can be harvested. After harvesting, the fruit cannot be eaten fresh directly; it needs 4-7 days of after-ripening until the flesh becomes soft before it can be eaten.