Detailed Explanation of Key Points for High-Yield Cultivation Techniques of Nai Plum
High-Yield Cultivation Techniques for Nai Plum
Nai plum, also known as peach-shaped plum, is a variety of Chinese plum native to Fujian, with fruit shaped like a peach and skin colored like a plum. It has the advantages of a vigorous tree, strong adaptability, and a tree body that is cold-resistant yet tolerant of heat. The fruit has thin skin and thick flesh, and the flesh is crisp, firm and refreshing; it is an excellent low-acid, high-sugar green health food. Its cultivation techniques are described as follows:
1. Orchard site selection.
Choose hilly sloping land below 300 m in altitude, sheltered from wind and facing the sun, with deep soil. The soil should have good aeration, with slightly acidic to neutral sandy loam being best. The orchard site must have certain drainage and irrigation conditions.
2. Land preparation.
If planting on mountain land, where the slope is below 25°C, clear the land and dig deep 20-25 cm; on steeper hillsides, it is best to build level terraces first, then dig holes at a spacing of 3×3 m between plants and rows, with a size of 0.8×0.8×0.8 m. Fill the holes first with topsoil, then apply 100-150 kg of farmyard manure or 0.5 kg of cake fertilizer and 0.25 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per hole as base fertilizer.
3. Planting.
Winter planting should be carried out after the seedlings lose their leaves, with late December to mid-January of the following year being the best time; spring planting can be carried out in February to March. Set the trunk at 35-40 cm, fill the soil and tread it firm, and water thoroughly after planting. When mounding soil, it should be slightly higher than the ground to prevent water accumulation.
4. Training and pruning.
The central leader of Nai plum is not obvious and the tree form is open, so the "three-main-branch open-center" tree shape should be adopted, that is, keep 3-4 main trunks within 33 cm above the ground. In the following spring, among the branches that emerge near the pruning cut on the main trunk, select 3-4 branches that are vigorous, evenly distributed and have a suitable opening angle, and train them into main branches. During winter pruning, cut off 2/5 of the extension branch to make it extend outward at an angle; in the third winter, shorten the extension branches of the main branches in the same way, and select and retain side branches on each main branch at intervals of about 50-60 cm in a staggered manner. After 4-5 years, the tree canopy framework is basically formed. In subsequent annual pruning, according to the relative position of the shoots within the canopy, measures such as long pruning, heading back, renewal pruning or pinching should be adopted to develop fruiting branch groups.
After entering the fruiting stage, prune according to the principle of "light pruning and long pruning, with thinning as the main method" to promote the formation of short fruiting branches. Each winter, leave 50-60 cm on the extension branches of the main and side branches and cut back to encourage more new shoots. Short new shoots often develop into short fruiting branches or bouquet-like short fruiting branches in autumn, while most long new shoots cannot form fruiting branches in the same year; if they are not cut back, then in the following year they generally will not produce long shoots again, and most will form short fruiting branches or bouquet-like short fruiting branches. The short fruiting branches of Nai plum can bear fruit for many consecutive years, and generally 2-3-year-old short fruiting branches bear fruit better. Prune weak, aged branches in time so that they sprout vigorous new shoots.
5. Orchard management.
(1) Mounding. Because sloping terraced soil is often washed by rain and the roots are easily exposed, use mountain topsoil to mound around the roots 3-5 cm thick each year.
(2) Deep plowing to improve the soil. Within 3-5 years after planting the seedlings, deepen and expand the planting holes 2-3 times each year. The first plowing is in February to a depth of 15-25 cm; the second is in August, combined with fertilization and one intertillage. Remove tiller shoots at the base of the trunk at any time.
Intercropping. During the young stage, leguminous green manure and short-growing cash crops can be planted between the rows, which can not only "support the long term with the short term" but also achieve the purpose of "replacing cultivation with intercropping."
(3) Fertilization. Nai plum absorbs more nitrogen and potassium and less phosphorus. In generally managed orchards, each tree should be applied with 25-50 kg of pig and cattle pen manure and 0.75-1.5 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer, applied in autumn in ring-shaped trenches or strip trenches.
(4) Irrigation. Although Nai plum is not strict about soil requirements, attention should still be paid to irrigating 2-3 times during summer drought. In orchards without irrigation conditions, intertill in time before the dry season arrives and cover the tree basin with soil to maintain soil moisture.
(5) Avoiding wind damage. To prevent wind damage, it is advisable to plant shelterbelts on the north and south sides of the Nai plum orchard, or to plant a ring of fir-type trees around the orchard.
(6) Protecting flowers and fruits. During the flowering period, spray once with 0.2% borax or borax pine; after petal fall, spray once with 0.2% urea plus 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Using growth regulators such as 2,4-D, anti-drop agent, gibberellin, and fruit-preserving agent to protect fruits can also effectively increase yield.
1. Orchard site selection.
Choose hilly sloping land below 300 m in altitude, sheltered from wind and facing the sun, with deep soil. The soil should have good aeration, with slightly acidic to neutral sandy loam being best. The orchard site must have certain drainage and irrigation conditions.
2. Land preparation.
If planting on mountain land, where the slope is below 25°C, clear the land and dig deep 20-25 cm; on steeper hillsides, it is best to build level terraces first, then dig holes at a spacing of 3×3 m between plants and rows, with a size of 0.8×0.8×0.8 m. Fill the holes first with topsoil, then apply 100-150 kg of farmyard manure or 0.5 kg of cake fertilizer and 0.25 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per hole as base fertilizer.
3. Planting.
Winter planting should be carried out after the seedlings lose their leaves, with late December to mid-January of the following year being the best time; spring planting can be carried out in February to March. Set the trunk at 35-40 cm, fill the soil and tread it firm, and water thoroughly after planting. When mounding soil, it should be slightly higher than the ground to prevent water accumulation.
4. Training and pruning.
The central leader of Nai plum is not obvious and the tree form is open, so the "three-main-branch open-center" tree shape should be adopted, that is, keep 3-4 main trunks within 33 cm above the ground. In the following spring, among the branches that emerge near the pruning cut on the main trunk, select 3-4 branches that are vigorous, evenly distributed and have a suitable opening angle, and train them into main branches. During winter pruning, cut off 2/5 of the extension branch to make it extend outward at an angle; in the third winter, shorten the extension branches of the main branches in the same way, and select and retain side branches on each main branch at intervals of about 50-60 cm in a staggered manner. After 4-5 years, the tree canopy framework is basically formed. In subsequent annual pruning, according to the relative position of the shoots within the canopy, measures such as long pruning, heading back, renewal pruning or pinching should be adopted to develop fruiting branch groups.
After entering the fruiting stage, prune according to the principle of "light pruning and long pruning, with thinning as the main method" to promote the formation of short fruiting branches. Each winter, leave 50-60 cm on the extension branches of the main and side branches and cut back to encourage more new shoots. Short new shoots often develop into short fruiting branches or bouquet-like short fruiting branches in autumn, while most long new shoots cannot form fruiting branches in the same year; if they are not cut back, then in the following year they generally will not produce long shoots again, and most will form short fruiting branches or bouquet-like short fruiting branches. The short fruiting branches of Nai plum can bear fruit for many consecutive years, and generally 2-3-year-old short fruiting branches bear fruit better. Prune weak, aged branches in time so that they sprout vigorous new shoots.
5. Orchard management.
(1) Mounding. Because sloping terraced soil is often washed by rain and the roots are easily exposed, use mountain topsoil to mound around the roots 3-5 cm thick each year.
(2) Deep plowing to improve the soil. Within 3-5 years after planting the seedlings, deepen and expand the planting holes 2-3 times each year. The first plowing is in February to a depth of 15-25 cm; the second is in August, combined with fertilization and one intertillage. Remove tiller shoots at the base of the trunk at any time.
Intercropping. During the young stage, leguminous green manure and short-growing cash crops can be planted between the rows, which can not only "support the long term with the short term" but also achieve the purpose of "replacing cultivation with intercropping."
(3) Fertilization. Nai plum absorbs more nitrogen and potassium and less phosphorus. In generally managed orchards, each tree should be applied with 25-50 kg of pig and cattle pen manure and 0.75-1.5 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer, applied in autumn in ring-shaped trenches or strip trenches.
(4) Irrigation. Although Nai plum is not strict about soil requirements, attention should still be paid to irrigating 2-3 times during summer drought. In orchards without irrigation conditions, intertill in time before the dry season arrives and cover the tree basin with soil to maintain soil moisture.
(5) Avoiding wind damage. To prevent wind damage, it is advisable to plant shelterbelts on the north and south sides of the Nai plum orchard, or to plant a ring of fir-type trees around the orchard.
(6) Protecting flowers and fruits. During the flowering period, spray once with 0.2% borax or borax pine; after petal fall, spray once with 0.2% urea plus 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate. Using growth regulators such as 2,4-D, anti-drop agent, gibberellin, and fruit-preserving agent to protect fruits can also effectively increase yield.