How to grow salak (snake fruit) from seed? A detailed guide to the method
There is a fruit with a very unusual appearance: its skin looks much like snake skin, its flesh is delicious, and its taste is sweet and refreshing. Its name is salak (snake fruit). Salak, also known as sala, is originally a woody flowering plant; its fruit can be eaten and can also be processed into candied fruit or used to make wine. So do you know how it is grown? Let's take a look below.
1. Growing conditions
Salak likes to grow in a hot and humid environment. It is best planted in woodland at an altitude of 400-600 m, requiring an annual average temperature of 22 degrees and a relative humidity of more than 80%. Only in this kind of environment can it grow normally. When planting under forest, there are no restrictions on the composition of tree species; either coniferous forest or broadleaf forest will do, and 20-30% light transmittance is required.
2. Propagation by seed
The seed propagation method for salak cannot determine the sex of the seedlings, so generally only bisexual varieties are propagated by seed. After picking fresh fruit, peel off the skin, remove the flesh, wash it, and keep the seeds, then store them with moist sand at low temperature. Before sowing, they must undergo germination promotion treatment to increase the seed germination rate. Spread the seeds flat in a container filled with coarse sand, then cover them with sand and rice husks and other materials to a thickness of 2-3 cm, maintaining temperature and humidity. When the seedlings grow 2-3 leaves, they can be transplanted.
3. Transplanting
When transplanting, the planting site must be cleared and planting holes dug. Generally, the specification of the hole length, width and height is 50×50×50 cm. Reasonably control the plant and row spacing, generally 1.5×1.5 m or 2×2 m, and it can also be increased or reduced according to actual conditions. When transplanting, an appropriate amount of fertilizer can also be applied in the hole, then put the seedling into the hole. The roots are required to be spread flat in the hole, then hold the seedling upright and cover with soil to prevent the seedling from lodging, then tread it firm and water.
4. Field management
Under hot and humid conditions, the plant basically does not need to worry about temperature and water issues, so there is no need for excessive watering, nor worry about low-temperature freezing damage. If the planting site does not meet these conditions, then water and temperature management must be done well. Generally, fertilizer is applied 2 times per year, with 1-2 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer each time, applied in the dry season and the rainy season. In addition, when planting, control the number of leaves on the plant. Generally, control the leaves at 7-8 leaves or 14-16 leaves per plant. Dead leaves should be cut off in time. The cut leaves can be spread at the roots to reduce water loss and also increase nutrients. When planting, if it is not a bisexual variety, pay attention to the ratio of female to male plants so as not to affect fruiting. Generally, every 20 female plants should be matched with 1 male plant, so that they can pollinate normally.
The above are the seed propagation methods for salak. I hope they can help you. If you want to learn more about fruit growing, please follow us.