First, choose land to build a garden: it is best to choose loam with good drainage, fertile and loose soil layer, good aggregate structure and PH value of 6.0-7.5 to build a garden; The temperature is between 10-35 degrees, and there is no freezing injury, no wind disaster and sufficient water.
2. Planting: Plant cement columns with the length and width of 2.5 meters each, each acre 1 10 column, the column is about 1.6 meters above the ground, and a rubber ring is placed at the top of the column as a branch support frame. Plant two seedlings in each row, bind them with cloth strips, and the seedlings grow in the row.
Third, shaping and pruning: after the seedlings grow to the supporting frame, remove the growing points to promote germination. According to the need, the principle of weakening and retaining strength is adopted, and 8- 10 strong branches are evenly left around the support frame as the fruiting mother plants of fruit trees. The rest of the branches should be cut off in time. After the second branch, 3-4 branches are left for each bearing mother branch as bearing branches, and so on. After entering the high-yield stage, 60 fruiting branches are left in each column, and redundant branches are cut off to maintain a vigorous growth trend and maintain high and stable yield.
4. Fertilization: Pitaya needs a lot of fertilizer. Before planting, apply sufficient base fertilizer. Generally, 30-40 kilograms of high-quality organic fertilizer is applied to each column; After the fruit seedlings grow, chemical fertilizer is applied 2-3 times a month, and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are applied together. According to the different growth stages of fruit trees, the proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is changed to increase weightlessness; Appropriate supplementary application of trace elements; Apply organic fertilizer 1-2 times a year. Adequate water and fertilizer conditions are the key to high, stable and long life of pitaya.
(1) Main characteristics Pitaya is native to the equator, relatively heat-resistant and water-resistant, and can still survive and blossom and bear fruit at the high temperature of 50-55℃; Poor cold tolerance, frostbite at 4-8℃. The requirement for soil quality is not high, and it can be planted on flat land, hillside, paddy field, dry land and saline-alkali land. Due to the inconsistent flowering and fruiting time, April-1 65438+10 is the production period every year, and it is good to manage, and 15 batches of flowers can be opened every year, which is beneficial to production and sales. The flower shape and flowering period are similar to those of Epiphyllum belonging to different genera. The flower is big, the corolla is about 25 cm in diameter and the whole flower weighs 350-500 grams. It blooms at 7- 10 at night and withers after sunrise. The same flower has stamens and pistils, which are pollinated by insects. Some species are self-compatible and others are incompatible. For self-incompatible species, pollinated plants need to be configured to bear fruit. The time from pollination to fruit ripening depends on the variety and geographical environment.
Fruits usually ripen 45 days after flowering.
(II) Variety types At present, there are mainly three kinds of pitaya commercially cultivated, namely white pitaya, red pitaya and yellow pitaya. Their characteristics are as follows:
1. White pitaya, red skin and white meat, fresh food of average quality. The production period in Taiwan Province Province is from June to June, with good pollination rate and strong disease resistance.
Strong, high yield. Can be processed into fruit juice, fruit powder and jam.
2. Red pitaya has red skin and red meat. The quality of fresh food is better than that of white pitaya. The production period in Taiwan Province Province is May-165438+ 10, but the white flowers are close.
Fruit can be processed into juice, fruit powder, red pigment, ice cream powder, jelly and jam.
3. The yellow skin and white meat of pitaya is of good quality, with sweetness above 18 brix, and it is fragrant, so it is the best fresh food. Fruits can be harvested without cracking and incomplete maturity, and the quality will not be affected. The production period in Taiwan Province Province is during Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival, and the market price is good.
(3) Key points of cultivation techniques The cutting branches of pitaya should be 30 cm long. After incision, it should be placed in a cool place for a week, and then cut after the wound heals to prevent infection and decay of the incision. Cuttings can be made all year round. Plants germinate and grow naturally from June 10 to May of the following year. A 2.7-meter-long reinforced concrete square column (10 cm x 10 cm) should be used as a pillar to support the climbing of pitaya branches. An iron cross is fixed at the top of the concrete column for pitaya branches to climb. The cement column is buried in the soil for 0.7m, and the height from the ground is 2m. The air roots of pitaya will be adsorbed on the cement column and extend into the soil to absorb nutrients. For large-scale cultivation, a cement column should be erected at a distance of 2.5 meters, and a round hole about +cm deep should be dug around the cement column. After the fermented organic fertilizer is applied to the bottom and mixed with the soil, seedlings should be planted on the holes, and 4-8 plants should be planted beside each cement column. At the beginning, spray water every 2-3 days, and then keep the soil moist after the root system is developed. There are no obvious pests and diseases in the cultivation of pitaya, but lime should be applied at seedling stage to prevent mollusks such as snails and slugs from being hurt, and pesticides are not needed.