Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for Field Management of Monk Fruit
1. Building trellises, training vines and removing side shoots. Monk fruit is a vine plant that needs a trellis to climb on so that the plant can grow well. After planting, begin building the trellis, generally using bamboo and wood as supports, with the trellis about 1.7 m high. Lay small bamboo or tree branches on top of the trellis, then insert a small bamboo pole beside the plant so the stems and vines can climb upward.
When the seedlings are 17-20 cm tall, remove the side branches growing from the vine stems, leaving the main vine so it can grow rapidly. When the seedlings are 30 cm tall, loosely tie the main vine to the bamboo with rice straw or hemp rope to help the stems and vines climb onto the trellis. If vines that have climbed onto the trellis fall down, they must be put back up promptly to favor vine growth.
2. Weeding and topdressing. Weeding and topdressing of monk fruit must be carried out several times each year. In April-May, when the seedlings are 30 cm tall, apply 1 application of dilute human manure water; in May, after the main vine has climbed onto the trellis, apply 1 application of decomposed barnyard manure and peanut bran; during the flowering and fruiting period from June to September, apply 1 application every 7-15 days of a mixed fertilizer of barnyard manure, peanut bran, phosphate fertilizer, etc., to promote fruit growth. Fertilization method: open a semi-ring-shaped trench on the upper side of the hillside 25 cm away from the tuber and apply the fertilizer there; never apply fertilizer directly on the tuber.
3. Hand pollination. Hand pollination is an important technical measure in monk fruit production; it can increase the fruit-setting rate of the plants and raise yield. In June-July, when the plants bloom, pick the open male flowers every morning. Use a bamboo stick to scrape off the pollen, and gently place the pollen on the stigma of the female flower. The pollen from each male flower can pollinate about 10 female flowers. Hand pollination should be finished in the morning; pollination in the afternoon has a poor effect. Collected pollen should preferably be used the same day; if it is to be kept until the next day, it must be dried and stored, otherwise it will lose its germinating ability.
4. Cold protection and protecting the root crown. Every year before the Start of Winter, mound soil around the crown to a thickness of about 15 cm, then cover with a layer of grass to prevent the tuber from freezing over winter. Around Qingming the following year, remove the covering and dig away the soil to expose the tuber, sun it in the sunlight for 3-4 days, and at the same time cut off the withered vines to favor the growth of new shoots.