Detailed Explanation of Key Points of High-Yield Fig Management Techniques
The fruit, stems and leaves, and even the entire plant of the fig can be used as medicine. The fruit can not only stimulate the appetite and aid digestion, but also treat diarrhea. It also has a certain effect on lowering blood lipids. Figs have very high edible and medicinal value. After most people became aware of its value, the market immediately took off, and more and more growers appeared. But do you know how to plant them? How should they be managed to achieve high yields in figs? Let's take a look together below!
1. Fertilizer and Water Management
The base fertilizer for figs is generally applied together with winter plowing around the leaf-fall period. Topdressing is applied when new shoots are growing and during the fruit enlargement stage of the receptacle. It is not advisable to apply it all at once; applying it in stages is best. During the flowering stage, young fruit stage, and enlargement stage, spray Huaguo Zhuangdiling once in each period to regulate the internal nutrition of the fruit. This is because it can avoid poor development and flower and fruit drop caused by insufficient nutrition, and it has a clear effect on preserving flowers and fruits in figs.
2. Shaping and Pruning
Fig plants should not be too tall. The tree shape is mainly a stub type. In the first year of planting, the plant should be kept at about 20 cm, in order to promote branch growth at the base. Then select 5 branches from the branches as main branches to begin cultivation, and train the branches separately in the direction of side branches and fruit-bearing branches. Pruning is mainly winter pruning, supplemented by summer pruning. The purpose of summer pruning is mainly to preserve flowers and fruits and improve yield and quality, while winter pruning is mainly for the plant's sprouting and nutrient accumulation in the second year.
3. Harvesting and Storage
The ripening time of figs is relatively long compared with other fruits. Figs are harvested in batches. The fruit begins to gradually ripen in summer. Ripe figs have a small hole, and the network pattern on the peel can be counted clearly with the naked eye. When market demand arises, they can be harvested early. Harvesting should be done in dry weather, and to avoid damaging the branches, the movements during harvest should not be too forceful. Because ripe figs rot and deteriorate very easily, storage must maintain a low temperature of zero degrees and a relative humidity above 80%.
4. Disease Control
Figs can develop many diseases and pests, such as anthracnose and angular leaf spot among diseases, and yellow stinging moth and scarab among pests. These diseases are all caused by inadequate orchard management. Most pathogens and insect eggs overwinter attached to the soil and diseased plant residues. After temperatures rise in spring, pathogens and insect eggs begin to breed and reproduce, parasitizing the tree body, causing the tree to be damaged and develop diseases. The orchard must be disinfected regularly, diseased plant residues must be centrally cleaned up, and after harvest the soil must be cultivated and disinfected to reduce sources of disease.
The four points mentioned above are about fig management methods. Figs generally require more water and fertilizer, and their water and fertilizer requirements must be ensured. Moreover, pests and diseases are very harmful to figs, so attention must be paid to the prevention and control of pests and diseases, regular orchard cleaning, and burning of diseased plant residues. It should also be noted that after figs ripen, excessively high temperatures will cause them to rot very easily, so storage must maintain a temperature below zero degrees to prevent spoilage.