How to Grow Star Apple? The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Star apple is a plant of the genus Chrysophyllum in the family Sapotaceae, native to the Caribbean and the West Indies, and widely distributed in tropical regions such as tropical America and Southeast Asian countries. Its tree shape is attractive and suitable as an ornamental garden tree, while its bark, latex and seeds can all be used as medicine, and the fruit also tastes excellent. So how should star apple be grown? Let's find out together.
1. Site Selection and Orchard Establishment
Star apple is not strict about soil requirements and can be planted on flat land or hillside land with convenient drainage and irrigation and medium fertility. Before planting, weed removal must first be carried out, then deep ploughing and harrowing with mechanical tillage equipment, and drainage facilities should also be well prepared. When planting, a spacing of 4m×5m or 4m×4m between plants and rows is suitable. The planting hole specifications are 1m in length and width and 80lm in height, then apply 10-20 kg of farmyard manure, 1 jin of lime, and 2-3 kg of superphosphate into each hole as base fertilizer, mix well with soil and backfill. When planting, select vigorous seedlings over 2 years old. When planting, place the seedling into the hole and hold it upright, fill with soil and compact it, water thoroughly with settling water in time, and cover the tree disc with rice straw to reduce water evaporation and improve the survival rate.
2. Fertilizer and Water Management
For young trees, fertilization should mainly be nitrogen fertilizer, following the principle of light fertilizer applied frequently, applying nitrogen fertilizer once each in spring, summer and autumn, with an appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Mature trees consume more nutrients, so organic fertilizer and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be appropriately increased. Apply 1-1.5 kg of compound fertilizer per plant each year, and in winter, combine with hole expansion to apply 10-20 kg of organic fertilizer, so as to promote shoot growth and fruit enlargement. Water during drought to keep the soil moist, and in the rainy season pay attention to drainage and waterlogging prevention to avoid water accumulation causing root rot.
3. Pruning
In production, dwarfing cultivation should be adopted to increase yield and quality. For young star apple trees, shaping is the main focus, combining branch thinning to retain 3-5 main branches and remove the remaining side branches, while developing tree height, gradually training them into an open-center tree shape, which can bring them into the fruiting period earlier. For fruiting trees, pruning after harvest should follow the principle of removing strong branches and keeping weak ones, pruning away weak branches, water sprouts, inner canopy branches, and overlapping branches, retaining reasonable fruiting branches and appropriately controlling tree height.
4. Pest and Disease Control
Star apple trees have strong resistance to pests and diseases. During cultivation, if fruit flies, aphids, scale insects, and sooty mold harm the fruit and leaves, timely control should be carried out. For fruit flies, phoxim emulsifiable concentrate can be sprayed and fly-catching lamps hung to trap and kill them; while sooty mold is mostly caused by the spread of aphids and scale insects, so insects and disease should be treated together, and carbendazim or imidacloprid can be sprayed for control. In addition, attention should be paid to timely removal of fallen leaves and dead branches to reduce sources of pests and diseases, and after clearing the orchard, spray the whole plant once with lime sulfur mixture.
The above is an introduction to star apple cultivation techniques. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.