How to Grow Wax Apple: Detailed Explanation of Cultivation Methods and Key Management Points
Wax apple fruit has bright, beautiful color, is juicy and sweet, and has become a popular fruit in recent years, loved by many people. It is also rich in nutrients such as protein and vitamins, offering significant benefits to the human body, and carries a slight apple fragrance. As the wax apple market gradually grows, demand increases more and more, and the planting area also becomes larger and larger. However, many friends do not know how to grow it, so today the editor brings you the cultivation methods for wax apple. Let's take a look below!
1. Seedling Propagation
Growing wax apple first requires seedling propagation. There are three ways to propagate wax apple seedlings: layering, cuttings, and grafting. At present, the main propagation methods are layering and grafting. For layering, choose vigorous branches that have grown for at least three years, and carry it out during the high-temperature and rainy weather each summer. First choose a branch with a diameter of about 3 cm and peel the bark, then mix moist soil with chopped grass into a ball, and tie the upper and lower ends tightly with rope. After about one month, new roots will grow from the peeled area, and after three months transplanting can begin. For grafting propagation, use 1-2 cm seedlings as rootstock, then use fully developed branches about two years old as scions. Grafting can be done at any time, but the survival rate is relatively higher in spring and autumn.
2. Orchard Establishment
The orchard should be chosen on fertile soil that is deep, relatively moist, and slightly acidic or neutral. If the orchard area is large, it is best to set up a footpath in the orchard to facilitate management during the growing period, and the irrigation and drainage system in the orchard should be well constructed so it can promptly handle high-temperature drought and water shortage as well as rainy waterlogging. Then build a manure pit and a water tank outside the orchard to facilitate fertilizing and watering. If conditions permit, a water-and-fertilizer integrated management system can also be established to manage the orchard more conveniently and let the fruit trees grow better.
3. Land Preparation
After the orchard is established, before transplanting the young seedlings, the land in the orchard should be plowed and leveled, and debris, stones, and some grass should be removed. After plowing the soil, let the soil be exposed to the sun for one week to disinfect the soil, reduce pathogens and parasites in the soil, and then level the land. If the orchard is established on a hillside, then when planting wax apple you cannot directly use line planting; the hillside should be terraced, and it is best to build the hillside into terraced fields to facilitate later management.
4. Base Fertilizer
To plant wax apple, pits need to be dug in the orchard. Determine the row spacing according to plant size, then begin digging pits. The distance between pits is generally 1*0.8*0.8 m, and after digging, expose them to the sun for about 30 days. The purpose is the same as above: through the high temperature and ultraviolet rays of the sun, kill pathogens and parasites in the soil and reduce sources of disease. Before planting, begin applying base fertilizer. The base fertilizer uses farmyard manure plus calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer and compound fertilizer, mixed and stirred together with crushed soil and placed into the pits. Then cover with a layer of rare earth, and after three weeks planting can begin.
5. Planting
Planting time is generally chosen in spring and autumn. The planting density should be reasonably controlled. According to tree size, the row spacing is generally 4*4 m. It is necessary to ensure the early-stage yield and survival rate of the trees. When wax apple enters the full-production period, carry out shading treatment in the orchard, then thin out by cutting, keeping the yield per mu at about 20 trees. Ensure the final yield and quality of wax apple. When planting, tread while planting; it is best if the seedling cannot be pulled out by hand at the end, but note that the seedling roots must be prevented from touching the base fertilizer to avoid root rot and affect the survival rate. If dead seedlings are found, replant them in time.
The above is a brief introduction to growing wax apple. Wax apple cultivation has become popular recently. Many people may not have heard of this fruit, but they may have eaten it. Wax apple contains very rich nutrients, and cultivation is also relatively simple. However, after planting, everyone must carefully observe and check the growth of the young seedlings and whether they survive; otherwise, it is your own economic interests that will be affected. I hope this can be helpful to everyone.