Durian Planting Methods and Key Cultivation Techniques

The durian tree is an evergreen arbor. Its leaves are long and oval, smooth on the surface, with scales on the underside. The fruit is spherical, covered with many hard spines, and its flesh is delicious, making it one of the famous tropical fruits. It originates from Malaysia and is also found in Guangdong and Hainan in China.

Durian planting conditions

Durian is a purely tropical crop. Generally, tropical crops have high heat requirements, and durian can only grow normally in areas where the multi-year average annual low temperature is above 0°C, where there is basically no frost throughout the year, where the accumulated temperature of ≥10°C is above 7000-7500°C, and where annual precipitation is above 1000 mm.

Because durian originated in or has long been cultivated in the tropics, it can bear fruit normally only in years with suitable heat and climatic conditions. According to reports, durian has already been successfully cultivated at the Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden in Hainan. Durian is a large tree, 15-20 m tall, with a distinct trunk and brittle branches that are easily damaged by strong winds. Durian usually blooms from April to May and its fruit ripens from August to September.

Durian planting techniques

1. Sowing

Durian can be sown every year, but spring is best. The sowing spacing is preferably 20 cm x 20 cm. During the seedling growth period, attention should be paid to weeding, combined with fertilization, to promote seedling growth. Superior mother plants can be propagated by air layering, which roots very easily; from ringing the branch to a rooted seedling takes only 60-70 days.

2. Transplanting seedlings

When the seedlings are 30-40 cm tall, they can be transplanted. A spacing of 3 m x 5 m is suitable. Apply organic fertilizer, farmyard manure and an appropriate amount of lime as base fertilizer. Transplanting can be done throughout the year, and planting with soil is best.

3. Fertilizer management

Durian trees should be fertilized mainly 1 time each year, namely the spring bud-promoting fertilizer, the summer fruit-swelling fertilizer, and the pre-harvest fertilizer. In particular, the fruit-swelling fertilizer must be applied well. After harvesting the fruit, apply an organic fertilizer deeply once.

4. Training and pruning

Because durian trees have very strong budding ability, attention should be paid to training them in the 1-2 years after planting, and they should be pruned promptly after harvest to maintain a good tree shape.

5. Harvesting the fruit

When the durian fruit turns orange-yellow or orange-red, it is ripe and can be harvested. After harvest, the fruit cannot be eaten fresh directly; it needs 4-7 days of after-ripening until the flesh becomes soft before it can be eaten.