Improvement of a complete set of planting techniques of dragon fruit

Fire dragon fruit (Latin name: Hylocereus undulatus Britt), also known as red dragon fruit, dragon bead fruit, fairy honey fruit, jade dragon fruit. Cactus family, measure the plant of the genus. Fruit, oval, 10-12 cm in diameter, red or yellow in appearance, with green rounded triangular foliage, white, red or yellow pulp, fruit with black seeds. The dragon fruit is rich in nutrition and unique in function. It contains rare plant albumin and anthocyanins, rich vitamins and water-soluble dietary fiber. Dragon fruit is a cool fruit, in the natural state, the fruit is ripe in summer and autumn, sweet and juicy.

1. Site selection and soil requirements

The suitable growth temperature of dragon fruit is 25: 35 ℃, which can be planted in the south of the Tropic of Cancer. Planting requires that the sandy loam with loose, fertile soil and good aggregate structure should be selected, the pH value is 6-7.5 and the drainage is good.

two。 Planting and support

The dragon fruit can be planted all the year round, but it is better from March to November. In the aspect of variety selection, Baiyulong fruit, Pearl Dragon and other excellent varieties can be selected in Meixian area, and grafted seedlings should be selected. Interplanting two varieties can improve the seed setting rate. Cement poles should be erected before planting as a support for the growth of dragon fruit. The specification of the cement rod is 10 cm × 10 cm × 210 cm. There should be steel bar in the rod body and a symmetrical hole is pierced at the top so that it can be used to set up the support in the future. The row spacing of the vertical cement pole is 2 meters × 3 meters, with 110 per mu, each cement rod buried 50 cm underground and 160 cm on the ground. 440 seedlings were planted in each mu of garden, and one plant was planted around each cement pole. After growing, the seedlings are tied to the cement pole to make them grow upward.

3. Fertilizer, water and soil management

The root growth of dragon fruit is shallow, and the root growth of 2 cm to 5 cm under the soil surface is the most active, so fertilizer and water management and soil management should be carried out according to this characteristic. The dragon fruit is more resistant to drought and avoid waterlogging, but its rapid growth still needs sufficient water, so it is necessary to irrigate the root, not the whole plant or field irrigation, which will lead to anoxic death of the root system. Fertilization is mainly based on rotten farm manure, and the best formula is 1 ∶ 2 ∶ 7 withered cake residue, chicken manure and pig manure. The amount of fertilizer depends on growth and soil fertility. Available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers can be applied appropriately at the stage of new branch growth, flowering and fruiting. The plants after hanging fruit are generally fertilized four times in spring, summer, autumn and winter, which can promote germination, spring shoot growth, flowering and fruiting and rejuvenation after fruit picking, respectively. The soil should be kept loose, loose soil can be combined with fertilization and weeding, do not hurt the root system, the aerial root of the aboveground part can be guided to the ground and rooted in the soil by traction, binding and other measures to enhance plant absorption function and promote growth.

4. Shaping and pruning

At the seedling stage, the dragon fruit retains a main branch to grow upward and erases the other side branches. after the seedlings grow 1.5 meters high along the cement pole, the top branches spread in all directions and form a circle with steel wire at the top of the cement pole. used to pull, fix and support the plant. After the vigorous growth of the fruit seedlings, the branches of 2 to 3 were selected as hanging fruit branches, and the branches of 1 to 3 were grown upward as vegetative branches and backup fruit branches. After hanging the fruit, the old branches are gradually thinned.

5. Pest control

Pitaya has fewer diseases and insect pests and is an environmentally friendly green food. The main diseases and insect pests are: rot disease, termites, red and yellow spiders, scale insects and so on, among which the more threatening one is rot disease, which is mainly caused by insect mouth injury or mechanical injury. the treatment is to cut off the disease part or cut open the disease part for drainage in high temperature and sunny days. Other diseases and insect pests can be controlled by spraying corresponding pesticides.

6. Harvest

After the top branch is sagging and mature, it will blossom and bear fruit from April to November every year, and it can be ripe and picked 35-45 days after fruiting. The branches, flowers, dried flowers and fruits of dragon fruit can be supplied to the market as commodities.