The Latest Management Methods for Dragon Fruit During the Fruiting Period
Dragon fruit is a fruit of the Cactaceae family. The plant looks very much like a cactus and is easy to propagate from cuttings and quick to establish. So it is relatively easy to grow and manage, and it has a wide range of adaptability, able to grow in many regions around the world. For the management of dragon fruit, the main focus can probably be placed on management during the fruiting period, since fruit yield and quality are what matter most. During the fruiting period, the following tasks should be carried out carefully.
1. Temperature
Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit, so it requires relatively high temperatures throughout its growing period, and low temperatures are not suitable for its growth. However, temperatures above 38 degrees or below 10 degrees will affect its growth, possibly stopping growth so that it cannot bloom or bear fruit. The best growing temperature is between 25 degrees and 35 degrees. It is best to plant in regions where the year-round temperature is above 20 degrees.
2. Fertilizer and water
The root system of dragon fruit is weak, with fibrous roots distributed widely, and the roots have poor tolerance for water, generally able to remain only moist. But they cannot be waterlogged; if waterlogged for one day, most of the root system will die, and in severe cases the plant will die. Dragon fruit is relatively drought-tolerant, but it needs a normal water supply to survive; generally one dragon fruit plant needs to absorb about one jin of water every three days to maintain its life activities. At high temperatures, water must be sufficient to avoid fruit cracking caused by rapid growth without water. When the branches are observed to be flat, nutrient solution needs to be supplemented. Keep one high-quality flower per fruiting branch, with fertilizer supplied in a concentrated way.
3. Disease control
To control canker disease, which mainly harms stems and fruits, high temperature and heavy rain are the triggering factors, and the disease breaks out severely. Use broad-spectrum fungicides such as thiophanate-methyl, carbendazim, and mancozeb combined with copper preparations for spraying, or use (Kuifuling) undiluted liquid for smearing, and cut off diseased stems and fruits and burn them in a centralized manner. Anthracnose mainly infects fruits in the later stage and also prevails in high-temperature and high-humidity environments. Dense planting and excessive nitrogen fertilizer are triggering factors. It mainly appears as water-soaked sunken brown spots; use the broad-spectrum fungicide Liangguoan 300 times dilution + Wofengsu foliar fertilizer 25 ml to 30 jin of water for spraying.
4. Bagging and harvesting
When the fruit matures, changes color, and becomes slightly soft, it can be bagged with paper bags to prevent mechanical damage from farming operations or damage from birds and insects chewing on it. Bag on cloudy and dry days, and there must be no moisture on the surface of the fruit when bagging. About 20 days after bagging, the fruit is basically ripe and can be harvested as early as possible together with the bag.
Management of dragon fruit during the fruiting period should take into account the management done well in other periods, and special management should also be carried out according to the characteristics of the fruiting period. Then comes the refinement of the content, doing a good job of all the details of the work to be managed. In this way, this management task is completed.