The origin of pitaya is Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, Cuba, Colombia and other places in Central America.

pitaya cultivation techniques

seedling management

The nursery bed should be a field with sunny ventilation, fertile soil and convenient irrigation and drainage, which should be carefully cultivated, with furrows of 5cm and 667 square meters, and 15-2 kg of decomposed chicken manure or cow dung, mixed with 1 kg of chaff ash, and fully stirred, and applied to the soil preparation. Then, 1-15kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer is applied, fully stirred with a hoe, and applied to the topsoil with a depth of 5cm. Then, the seedlings are planted in the seedbed according to the plant spacing of 1.5cm, watered with water, sprayed with carbendazim 5 times once, and applied with 5-7kg of compound fertilizer every 1-15 days, and then the seedlings can be taken out of the nursery.

planting management

pitaya begins to blossom and bear fruit 12 to 14 months after planting, and it can blossom 12 to 15 times a year. April to November is the fruit-bearing period, and the fruit matures 3 to 4 days after flowering, with a single fruit weighing 5 to 1 grams. After planting, it produces more than 2 fruits per column in the second year, and enters the full fruit-bearing period in the third year, with a yield of 25 kg/mu.

The key points of its high-yield cultivation are as follows:

1. The ratio of thin fertilizer to diligent application is long, so organic fertilizer should be reapplied every year, and compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be applied in a balanced way for a long time. Potassium and magnesium fertilizers should be supplemented during flowering and fruiting to promote the accumulation of sugar and improve the quality of fruits. Keep the soil moist during the fruiting period, and cover the tree tray with grass or mushroom residue. When the weather is dry, water should be irrigated once every 3 to 4 days. Pitaya, like other cactus plants, has a smaller growth than conventional fruit trees. Therefore, fertilization should be based on the principle of sufficient, small amount and multiple times.

young trees (1-2 years old) mainly apply nitrogen fertilizer, so as to apply it sparingly and diligently and promote the growth of trees. Adult trees (more than 3 years old) are mainly applied with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and the amount of nitrogen fertilizer is controlled.

Fertilization should be carried out in the sprouting period of new shoots and fruit expansion period in spring. Generally, the fertilizers are mainly cake residue and farmyard manure, and 25 kilograms of organic fertilizer is applied to each plant every year. Or in July, October and March of the following year, 1.2 kilograms of cow dung compost and 2 grams of compound fertilizer are applied to each plant. The root system of pitaya is mainly distributed in topsoil, so the method of spreading fertilizer should be adopted, and deep furrowing should be avoided to avoid root damage. In addition, after each batch of young fruits is formed, .3% magnesium sulfate +.2% borax +.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate is sprayed outside the roots once to improve the fruit quality.

due to the long harvest period of pitaya, organic fertilizer should be applied again, and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer should be applied in a balanced way for a long time. Completely using fertilizers with too high nitrogen content in pig manure and chicken manure makes the branches thicker, dark green and brittle, easy to break in strong wind, and the fruit is large and heavy, with poor quality, low sweetness and even sour or salty taste. Therefore, potassium fertilizer, magnesium fertilizer and bone meal should be added during flowering and fruiting to promote the accumulation of sugar and improve the quality of fruit.

there are many aerial roots of pitaya, which can be transformed into absorption roots. Expanding holes and improving soil can gradually widen the distribution of root system; It can also be tied and dragged to induce aerial roots to go to the ground.

2. compared with when the branches grow to 1.3 to 1.4 meters long, coring promotes branching and makes the branches droop naturally.

3. Compared with artificial pollination, when planting pitaya, about 1% white meat type pitaya should be interplanted. Cross-pollination among varieties can obviously improve the seed setting rate. In case of rainy weather, artificial pollination is needed. Pollination can be done by applying pollen directly to the stigma of female flowers with a brush before the flowers bloom in the evening or before they close in the morning.

4. Pruning ratio: Pruning branches are pruned every year, so that they can send out new branches to ensure the yield in the coming year. There are various planting methods of pitaya, which can be planted by climbing the wall or building a shed, but column cultivation is the most common, with its advantages of low production cost and high land utilization rate.

The so-called column cultivation means to erect a cement column or a wooden column, plant three or four pitaya seedlings around the column, and let the pitaya plants grow up along the column. Planting specifications: The row spacing of two-season columns is 1.5m× 2m, and 75 plants can be planted every 667m2 if 4 plants are planted around each column. Pitaya can be planted all year round. Be careful not to plant it deeply. It can be planted about 3 cm deep, and the soil should be kept moist at the initial stage.

water management

pitaya grows rapidly in a warm and humid environment with sufficient light. The soil in the whole garden should be kept moist during the seedling growth period. Water more in spring and summer to keep its roots growing vigorously. Keep the soil moist during the fruit expansion period to facilitate the fruit growth.

Do not soak for a long time during irrigation, and do not spray water frequently from beginning to end. Immersion irrigation will make the root system die in a long-term hypoxia state, and drenching water will make the humidity uneven and induce erythema. Drainage should be done in time in rainy weather. Water should be controlled in the garden in winter to enhance the cold resistance of branches.