What are the dragon fruit planting and field management techniques?
Dragon fruit is a tropical fruit that can be planted year-round in tropical climates, but in our country it is best to plant it in spring. The temperature for its growth must be at least above 18 degrees, and the maximum temperature must not exceed 40 degrees, otherwise it will be scorched. Nowadays dragon fruit is planted in many places in our country, so today we will mainly learn about its field management techniques.
1. Field planting
Dragon fruit is generally propagated mainly by cuttings, so when we carry out the cuttings we usually plant them at a reasonable density. However, we need to pay attention to checking the survival of the dragon fruit seedlings in the field, replanting missing ones in time, ensuring the seedlings in the field are uniform, and finally carrying out field planting.
2. Fertilizer and water
For fertilizing dragon fruit, we need to strictly follow the principle of applying light fertilizer frequently. After the dragon fruit is planted, nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer and potassium fertilizer should be applied reasonably, and organic fertilizer should be applied heavily. Finally, when the dragon fruit is flowering and fruiting, potassium fertilizer and magnesium fertilizer should be reasonably applied as a top dressing, which can help the dragon fruit accumulate sugar faster and promote its growth. Throughout the entire growing period of dragon fruit, a certain level of humidity must be maintained in the field, and the humidity in the air should be at least around 80 percent. In relatively dry weather, water once every three to four days, and in rainy periods pay attention to drainage.
3. Pinching
In order to increase the fruiting amount of dragon fruit, when the main stem of the dragon fruit grows to about 1.5 m, we need to pinch off the growing tip. This can promote the growth of side branches of the dragon fruit. When the side branches of the dragon fruit reach a certain extent, the growth of the dragon fruit seedlings needs to be controlled, otherwise nutrients cannot be supplied sufficiently, and it will also affect the yield of the dragon fruit.
4. Weeding
Dragon fruit is a shallow-rooted plant, so extra care must be taken when weeding, and the roots of the dragon fruit must not be damaged. When there are relatively few weeds, we can only pull the weeds by hand. But when there are many weeds in the field and the planting area is relatively large, we will have a special lawn mower ready and mow the field at irregular intervals. The cut grass can also be used as fertilizer for the dragon fruit, promoting its growth.
5. Pruning
When the dragon fruit is pinched, many side branches often grow, making the plants appear relatively dense, unable to carry out sufficient photosynthesis, and at the same time the air permeability in the field will also weaken, which will still affect the yield and quality of the dragon fruit. To prevent the branches from being too dense, we need to reasonably prune the branches and leaves, cutting off some old branches, diseased branches and weak branches.
6. Support frames
The branches of the dragon fruit cannot bear such a large weight, so when the dragon fruit grows to about 1.5 m or before the dragon fruit begins to flower and fruit, we need to set up some supports around it. This can support the growth of the dragon fruit so that its branches will not break, and at the same time it can also ensure the maximum supply of nutrients, thus increasing the yield of the dragon fruit.
7. Disease prevention
Generally, when field management is handled relatively well, dragon fruit basically will not develop diseases. However, during the seedling stage of dragon fruit, there will still be damage from pests such as ants and snails, and at this time we can use insecticides for control. But if field management is not handled properly, then there will also be many diseases, such as gray mold and soft rot. For specific situations, you can refer to the common pest and disease control methods for dragon fruit.