How to prune dragon fruit? A detailed guide to the correct pruning method

Dragon fruit is a very delicious fruit, and during the growth of the plant, pruning can promote an increase in the number of dragon fruit set and speed up ripening. Tip pruning and the pruning of stray branches are essential, and after pruning, attention should be paid to controlling temperature and light. So when is the best time to prune dragon fruit? What techniques are there for pruning? Follow the editor to learn more.

I. When to prune dragon fruit

1. Pruning during the seedling stage

After planting and surviving, the plant will climb and grow along the concrete pillar. At this time, the seedling will sprout side branches. One upward-growing branch should be retained, and all the other branches should be cut off. This helps the nutrients supplied to the branch promote rapid upward climbing growth.

2. Pruning during the growth period

When the plant has grown to 1.5 m, it can be allowed to develop more than 3 naturally drooping branches. After the branches mature, these drooping branches have the potential to bloom and bear fruit. The branches on the upper and middle parts of the dragon fruit, especially the drooping branches, have a relatively high rate of flowering and fruiting, while the branches on the middle and lower parts do not have a high rate of flowering and fruiting, so the drooping branches have a fairly large effect on the yield of dragon fruit.

3. Fruiting branches

For each plant, two-thirds of the branches can be arranged as fruiting branches. In addition, branches can easily have flower buds and flowers removed, reducing their growth angle, inhibiting reproductive growth, promoting vegetative growth, and cultivating them into strong fruiting branches, laying the foundation for a high yield the following year. Some plants have a large fruit set, and the possibility of a high yield the next year is relatively low, so a large number of strong branches can be formed at the base. The pruning method of thinning the weak and keeping the strong should be used to promote the formation of strong vegetative branches.

II. How to prune dragon fruit

1. Pruning young trees

Pruning young trees is mainly for shaping, mainly using the method of pinching off the growing tip to promote more branching. When the seedling is taller than the concrete pillar, pinch off its growing tip so that the main trunk sprouts several branches, promoting the formation of fruiting branches as quickly as possible. In spring, when the plant enters the flower bud differentiation stage, in order to prevent the branches from growing excessively, all tender buds should be removed and nutrients stored in the old branches, which is beneficial for flowering.

2. Pruning mature trees

After the plant enters the full production period, the old branches that have already borne fruit and those perpendicular to the ground should be cut off, because they contribute little to photosynthesis and consume too many nutrients, which is not conducive to nutrient accumulation and the formation of fruiting branches the following year. During the flowering and fruiting period, excess vegetative branches can also be cut off to reduce nutrient consumption and promote sunlight exposure.

  The above is an introduction to how dragon fruit should be pruned. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.