Detailed Explanation of Pineapple Planting Methods and Technical Key Points

Pineapple (scientific name: Ananas comosus) is one of the tropical fruits. In Fujian and the Taiwan region of China it is called wangli or wanglai (ông-lâi), in Singapore and Malaysia it is called huangli, and in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, China it is called boluo. There are more than 70 varieties, and it is one of the four famous fruits of Lingnan.

Planting Methods

I. Adapt to local conditions, select the site and build the orchard

According to the pineapple's requirements for external environmental conditions, choose sloping land with relatively light winter cold damage, no frost or little frost, and soil pH 4.5-6.0 as the orchard site. After selecting the site, build horizontal terraces along the contour lines around the hill, plow deeply 40-50 cm, thoroughly dig out thatch and other perennial weeds, and at the same time dig flood control ditches and drainage ditches according to the size of the plot area.

II. Plant at the right time, with reasonable close planting

The planting time for pineapple is not very strict. Except for December to January of the following year, when it is too cold and dry for planting, it can be planted at other times. For off-season cultivation, pineapple should be marketed in March-April of the following year during the fruit off-season, so it must be planted in March, and old mature suckers or large shoot seedlings with thick stems, dense leaves, and vigor should be selected for planting. When planting, the shoot seedlings are required to have more than 10 large leaves and a fresh weight of more than 200 grams. According to production practice, the local planting density is suitably 1000-1200 plants per mu.

III. Make heavy use of potassium fertilizer, apply sufficient base fertilizer

Pineapple grows quickly and yields highly, and has a large potassium requirement, so applying sufficient base fertilizer and making heavy use of potassium fertilizer are important measures for achieving high pineapple yields. The base fertilizer is mainly plant ash and farmyard manure, combined with a small amount of superphosphate, applied at 0.25-0.5 kg per hole. Practice has proved that applying sufficient base fertilizer helps improve soil aggregate structure, enhance soil permeability and water and fertilizer retention capacity, and create a good soil environment conducive to pineapple root growth; at the same time, after the seedlings survive, nutrients are available for absorption, accelerating root and leaf growth, promoting robust plant growth, and early fruiting and high yield. In addition, applying sufficient base fertilizer such as plant ash can improve the plant's cold resistance.

IV. Apply topdressing at the right time, strengthen management

1. Timely topdressing: after the seedlings survive, during the vegetative growth period, apply topdressing once every 1-2 months, with 25 grams of urea per plant; topdressing should be done after rain. In July, apply a heavy flower-inducing fertilizer once, with 50-100 grams of compound fertilizer per plant. In addition, during the fruit expansion period, apply foliar topdressing 1-2 times (0.2%-0.4% urea aqueous solution). After February each year, as the weather warms up, fertilization management should be strengthened, and foliar topdressing should be carried out in time to promote rapid plant growth.

2. Inter-row mulching: pineapple roots are shallow-growing. In order to protect the root mass, keep the soil moist, suppress weed growth, lower summer and autumn soil temperature and raise winter soil temperature, and facilitate robust root growth, full-year mulching between the small rows must be done carefully. Straw or mountain grass can be used as mulch, with a mulching thickness of 3-4 cm.

3. Cultivation and weeding: pineapple roots have a strong requirement for air, so the soil must be kept loose and breathable. Between the small rows and under the leaf canopy, where the root mass is dense and shallow-growing, if straw mulching is not used, weeds must be removed in time, and shallow hoeing should be noted during weeding to avoid damaging the roots. Generally, around May, before the weeds flower and when the soil surface becomes compacted after rain, carry out cultivation and weeding 1-2 times. After October, as the weather gradually becomes dry, cultivation and loosening of the soil should also be carried out to prevent drought, retain moisture, and completely remove weeds.

V. Timely flower induction and fruit promotion, adjust the harvest period

1. Flower induction: pineapple planted in March, after 5-6 months of rapid cultivation, by August, when the plant grows to more than 35 cm in height and has 25-28 leaves more than 35 cm long, in order to strive for the fruit to be marketed in March and April of the following year and for a relatively concentrated harvest period, ethephon must be used for flower induction, with a concentration of 0.025%-0.05% (use 100 ml of 40% ethephon plus 80-160 liters of clean water); use a lower concentration when the temperature is high, and a higher concentration when the temperature is low.

Adding 1% urea to the diluted ethephon solution gives better results. Pour 20-50 ml of the prepared diluted solution into each plant (into the heart), or use a knapsack sprayer with the nozzle cap removed and spray the solution into the plant from the center. Ethephon flower induction should be carried out before 10:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. on sunny days. Generally, flower buds emerge 28-30 days after flower induction. When using ethephon heart application for flower induction, attention should be paid to the following issues: (1) The plants to be induced must be robust plants with a certain vegetative growth foundation, that is, they must have 25-28 green leaves more than 35 cm long. If the plant is too small or too weak, although it will bloom and bear fruit after treatment, the fruit will be small and the yield low, losing commercial value; (2) Ethephon is a plant growth regulator, not a fertilizer, so fertilization must be increased before and after flower induction to achieve the goal of increasing yield; (3) Master the appropriate concentration of the solution. If the concentration is too high, it not only wastes the chemical but also inhibits growth.

2. Promote larger fruit: during the fruit expansion period, use 0.2%-0.4% urea aqueous solution for foliar topdressing to promote fruit development and achieve the goal of high yield and high quality.

VI. Topping and bud removal

After flowering, topping should be done in time, removing the crown buds and excess suckers, concentrating nutrients to supply the growth of the small fruit; at the same time, 1-3 strong buds near the ground should be retained as replacements for the mother plant after fruit harvest.

VII. Bagging to protect the fruit

Pineapple likes warmth and fears frost, so bagging to protect the fruit against cold should be done around "Minor Cold." Pineapple fruit bagging generally uses vest bags, which are convenient for securing tightly. When bagging, care should be taken not to tear the bag, and a layer of paper or cloth should be added inside the bag to help absorb moisture and retain moisture, while also preventing freezing. Practice has proved that fruit treated with bagging protection is large and does not crack, with high economic value; fruit without bagging protection is small and cracks, with low economic value, losing the significance of off-season cultivation.

VIII. Pest and disease control

In off-season pineapple cultivation, because the temperature is relatively low when the fruit matures, there are fewer pests and diseases. Therefore, apart from controlling scarab larvae at planting time and preventing mouse damage during fruit ripening, chemical control is not needed at other times, making the product meet pollution-free requirements.

IX. Harvest at the right time

For off-season pineapple planting, after one year of cultivation and management after planting, the harvest period begins in March and April of the following year. When 2-3 rows of small fruit at the base of the fruit turn yellow, the fruit stalk has slight wrinkles, and the fruit leans slightly to one side on the stalk, it can be harvested. Pineapple fruit should be harvested in stages and batches, harvesting ripe ones first.