What are the ways to supplement organic fertilizer in orchards?
There are mainly three ways to supplement organic fertilizer in mountain orchards: First, intercropping and relay intercropping green manure crops to increase soil organic matter. Most mountain orchards have acidic and infertile soil. After fruit harvest and before fruit set, from autumn to spring, vigorously expanding intercropping and relay intercropping of leguminous green manure around the orchard to improve soil texture is a good way to supplement organic matter...
There are mainly three ways to supplement organic fertilizer in mountain orchards:
First, intercropping and relay intercropping green manure crops to increase soil organic matter. Most mountain orchards have acidic and infertile soil. After fruit harvest and before fruit set, from autumn to spring, vigorously expanding intercropping and relay intercropping of leguminous green manure around the orchard to improve soil texture is a good way to supplement organic matter. For example, planting leguminous forage grasses, Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus), peanuts, soybeans and other green manure crops with rhizobia can fix large amounts of nitrogen in the soil and absorb free nitrogen from the air, significantly enriching the soil, and the intercropped green manure can be cut at full bloom and buried under the fruit trees as base fertilizer. After comparison and measurement 2 years after planting, the soil organic matter content increased by more than 1 times, significantly improving soil structure and ensuring normal growth of the fruit trees.
Second, mulching the orchard with grass. Long-term grass mulching in orchards both increases and conserves fertilizer, and also retains moisture and raises temperature. Grass mulching in mountain orchards is carried out from summer to winter. Summer and autumn mulching can lower temperature and retain moisture, preventing soil erosion; winter mulching can keep warm and prevent freezing. The mulch can be green grass, fallen leaves, rice straw, etc., with a thickness of 8-10 cm, and then turned into the soil to achieve the purpose of increasing fertilizer and improving soil.
Third, raising livestock and poultry and farming fish to solve the fertilizer source on site. According to the practices of fruit growers in Meixian, breeding farms are set up near mountain orchards to farm fish, raise pigs, cattle, sheep, and the three birds (poultry) and other livestock and poultry. Livestock manure is used to produce biogas, biogas is used for lighting and cooking, and biogas slurry (residue) is used to fertilize fruit trees. Combining planting and breeding, recycling and utilizing, and solving the fertilizer source on site not only supplements organic fertilizer for the orchard but also saves labor and cost. Orchards that implement the combination of planting and breeding have very significant ecological and economic benefits.