Detailed Explanation of the Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods of Creeping Fig

Creeping fig, also known as wild ground melon, ground melon vine, ground pomegranate, etc., is an evergreen woody vine of the genus Ficus in the mulberry family, with medicinal and landscape value. Its fruit ripens in June and July each year. There are two varieties: one has sweet and delicious fruit and is edible, while the other has no fragrance and is not edible. Generally, a patch is all of the same variety. Let us take a look at the cultivation techniques of creeping fig below!

Cultivation Value of Creeping Fig

Creeping fig has a neat plant form and is an excellent ground cover plant in landscape plant arrangements. It can be used alone for flower borders and flower clusters for ornamental viewing, or paired with flowering, colorful-leaf, and autumn-leaf plants as a green background. In areas with many weeds, it can be used as a dominant population to inhibit weed growth. At the same time, creeping fig can also be cultivated as a fruit, suitable for interplanting in orchards to turn traditional single-season orchards into double-season orchards. It can also be used as a hanging bonsai for fruit and foliage viewing; its flexible, emerald-green stems and vines are elegant and flowing, presenting the beautiful scene of "ten thousand strands hanging down like green silk ribbons."

Growth Habits of Creeping Fig

Creeping fig is distributed in the Yangtze River basin and many subtropical provinces and regions in China, such as Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and southern Shaanxi. It likes a warm and humid climate, is a sun-loving plant, and tolerates partial shade. It grows naturally on hillsides, field ridges, ditch sides, shrub edges, under sparse forests, roadsides, and other places in low mountain areas, often growing in patches.

Propagation Techniques of Creeping Fig

Creeping fig propagates very easily, and cutting propagation is often used in actual production. Taking the Guilin area as an example, generally from early March to early April, after temperatures rise, is the best period for cutting propagation. Cut 1-year-old branches 10-15 cm long; the cutting substrate is not strict, and fine sand or loam is acceptable. If rapid growth is not needed, it can also be directly cut into the site to be greened, with a plant spacing of 15×15 cm. When cut in March, it can close the rows by the end of May. At the same time, cutting experiments show that a stem segment with one node may develop into a population, because its characteristic of rooting where the node touches the ground makes it easy to grow new plants.

Cultivation Techniques of Creeping Fig

After planting creeping fig, pay attention to watering and pulling weeds during the seedling stage. After the rows close, watering once a week is sufficient. During the vegetative growth season, the demand for N and P is relatively large. According to its growth and site conditions, spread some urea or compound fertilizer with higher N and P on rainy days to promote seedling growth. It has strong stress resistance and is suitable for extensive management; after planting, it does not need frequent replacement or regular manual pruning. In communities planted in patches, there are rarely other weeds. Pests and diseases occasionally include leaf-eating pests, such as bamboo locusts, skull moths, and hawk moths, which need to be controlled early.