Plum Cultivation Methods: A Detailed Explanation of the Latest Cultivation Techniques
The plum is a fruit unique to China, and its cultivation history in our country is very long. Common plum varieties include Qingzhu plum, Baifen plum, and Huangmei plum. Because the plum has a unique taste and also has effects such as detoxifying and beautifying the skin, removing acne and spots, and lowering blood pressure and blood lipids, it is the favorite of many female friends and has extremely high economic value. So when is the best time to plant plums? How should they be planted? Let us take a look below at the methods for plum cultivation.
1. Site Selection and Land Preparation
The plum's growth habit is that it likes warmth and has strong cold resistance, so the planting site is generally chosen in a place with relatively sufficient sunlight where the soil, water body, and air are all unpolluted, and at the same time the soil fertility should be relatively sufficient, drainage should be well managed, permeability should be good, and it should be planted in relatively moist soil. After selecting the site, deep plowing should be carried out, and at the same time planting holes should be dug, and sufficient fertilizer should be scattered into the planting holes, covered with a layer of fine soil, and finally planting can be carried out.
2. Timely Planting
The temperature suitable for plum growth is between 12 and 23 degrees, so the time suitable for plum planting is generally February or March in spring each year, or September or October in autumn. At the same time, in the rainy season of July and August, plum trees need to be field planted, so we need to decide the specific planting time according to the specific local climate conditions.
3. Reasonable Close Planting
The plum tree form is relatively large, so under normal circumstances only about 40 to 55 plants can be planted per mu, among which the planting density is about 4 m between rows and about 3 m to 4 m between plants, decided according to the fertility of the soil and the variety of the plum tree. At the same time, if the early fruiting amount is to be increased in the future, then close planting can be carried out appropriately. Use a density of 4 m between rows and 3 m between plants for field planting.
4. Fertilizer and Water Management
After field planting, that is, when there is a great deal of rain in summer, the field is often in a state of high temperature and high humidity, so we must drain water in a timely manner to enhance the permeability of the soil. Second, when the fruit is developing in spring, we should water appropriately, and at the same time also make preparations against frost. During the young tree period of the plum, we generally need to fertilize scientifically according to its growth conditions, such as nitrogen fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, cake fertilizer, etc., and adjust the ratio reasonably. Adult fruit trees are generally fertilized in autumn, then fertilized before flowering or when strengthening the fruit, and finally fertilized before rain in winter.
5. Pruning and Shaping
For young fruit trees, before the tree form has formed, we must continuously prune so that they can grow better. Generally, we prune some branches that are unfavorable to light, and at the same time relatively dry or messy branches should also be cut off so as not to affect the beauty of the tree form. For adult plum trees, dead branches, dense branches, diseased branches, insect-damaged branches, weak branches, and non-fruiting branches are generally pruned off, which can improve light, and at the same time also allow it to grow new branches and leaves, and to a certain extent can increase yield.
6. Pest and Disease Control
The main diseases of the plum include anthracnose, black spot, and gummosis. These diseases are basically caused by high temperature and high humidity or low temperature and high humidity or even high temperature and low humidity. Under normal circumstances, we can use carbendazim for control. The most common pests include aphids, fruit borers, longhorn beetles, and scale insects. We can usually use dimethoate emulsion to carefully prevent and poison them.