Technical guide dragon fruit cultivation

By: alamtani.com
Technical guide dragon fruit cultivation
Dragon fruit cactus plants are grouped into families. Although known as the fruit of Asia, this plant originally from Mexico, Central America and South America. In 1870, the French brought the dragon fruit from Guyana to Vietnam as an ornamental plant. Because it tastes sweet, dragon fruit is eaten widely in Vietnam and China.
In Indonesia, dragon fruit became popular since 2000.'s Not clear exactly who was first developed it. It is estimated that dragon fruit coming into our country from Thailand and cultivated by hobbyists plants sporadically.
Currently there are several species of dragon fruit plants are widely cultivated. The types of fruit that is popular:
Hylocereus undatus red skin with white flesh
Hylocereus polyrhisus red skin with red flesh
Hylocereus costaricensis red skin with red flesh rather thick purplish
Hylocereus megelanthus yellow skin with white flesh.
Dragon fruit cultivation is very suitable to the climatic conditions and the nature of Indonesia. This plant grows optimally at an altitude of 0-350 meters above sea level with rainfall of about 720 mm per year. The air temperature is ideal for the growth of dragon fruit ranged 26-36 degrees Celsius.
Choosing the dragon fruit seedlings
Dragon fruit plants can be propagated by generative and vegetative. Generative way that plants reproduce from seeds. Seeds taken by removing the seeds from the selected dragon fruit. This method is a little difficult and is usually done by experienced breeders.
Vegetative means relatively more widely used because it is easier. Dragon fruit cultivation by vegetative means more quickly bear fruit. In addition, the properties of the parent plant may simply decline to his son. Here are the steps penyetekkan dragon fruit:
Penyetekkan made ​​to the trunk or branch of a plant that never bear fruit, at least 3-4 times. This allows the cuttings to produce results more quickly and productivity has been discovered from the results of previous pieces.



Choose a rod with a diameter of at least 8 cm, hard, old, gray green and healthy. The larger the diameter of the rod, the better, because the rod will be the main stem of the plant.
Cutting is done to stem length is about 80-120 cm. Do not cut all, leaving about 20%, part of which 80% would be candidates for seed.
Cut the stems of seedlings candidates with a length of about 20-30 cm. Upper end of the flat cut, while the base of the soil that will plug into a tapered cut. Useful to stimulate root growth.
Pieces cuttings should have at least 4 buds. Cutting length can be shorter, but the consequences will affect the speed of fruiting.
Let the stem cuttings which had been cut into pieces until the sap dries. When directly planted wet sap can cause stem rot. To avoid the risk of fungal attack stem cuttings can be dipped in fungicide solution.
Prepare beds for planting cuttings or poly-these cuttings. To a mixture of soil or planting media please see how to create a media hotbed.
Flush beds or polybags are filled with planting medium. Then plug the pointed part of the cuttings into the growing media depth of 5 cm.
Provide shade or hood to protect the cuttings. Do watering as much as 2-3 days.
After 3 weeks, the first buds begin to grow and shade or lid must be opened so that the seedlings get full sunlight.
Maintenance of seed usually lasts up to 3 months. In this age range from 50-80 cm tall seedlings.
Preparation of dragon fruit cultivation
The need seeds for cultivation of a hectare dragon fruit seedlings around 6000-1000. The number of seeds needed depends on the method of planting and spacing. This time alamtani discuss dragon fruit cultivation methods with a single pole climbing. With this system takes pole climbing as much as 1600 rods to the needs of as many as 6400 seeds plant seeds per hectare.


a. Preparation of mast climbing
In the pole climbing dragon fruit cultivation is needed to sustain the growth of plants. Climbing poles are usually made ​​of concrete permanent. Bisap pillar pillar shape rectangular or cylindrical with a diameter of about 10-15 cm.
High pole climbing for dragon fruit cultivation is usually 2-2.5 meters. The pole is planted as deep as 50 cm in order to stand strong. At the upper end of the support given in the form of wood or metal rods form the '+'. Then add a circular iron or can be used bike tires. So that the upper end shaped like a steering wheel.
Make the climbing pole in rows, spacing poles in a line 2.5 meters while the 3-meter line spacing. This distance is also a certain spacing. In between the rows for 25 cm deep drainage.
b. Tilth
After climbing poles prepared, make the planting hole with a size of 60 × 60 cm with a depth of 25 cm. Climbing the pole position lies exactly in the middle of the planting hole.
Mix 10 kg of sand with the soil excavated to increase the porosity of the soil. Add compost or manure that has matured as much as 10-20 kg. Also add dolomite or agricultural lime as much as 300 grams, because the dragon fruit requires a lot of calcium. Stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Hoard back planting hole with a mixture of the above media. Then flush with water until moist but do not let stagnant. Let the planting hole has been backfilled illuminated sun and dried up.
After 2-3 days, give as much as 25 grams of TSP fertilizer. Fertilizer encircle the pole climbing with a distance of about 10 cm from the pole. Let stand for about 1 day. Now the planting hole ready for planting.
Dragon fruit seedlings
For one it takes 4 pole climbing dragon fruit plant seeds. Seedlings were planted around the pole climbing, pole climbing with distance between seed plants about 10 cm. Seedlings transferred from seeding beds or polybags. Dig the soil as deep as 10-15 cm, or customized to the size of the seed. Then the seeds are placed in the excavation and backfilled with compacted soil while.
After the 4th seed is planted, the tie rod plant seeds that stick to the pole climbing. Perform the binding of each crop grown throughout the panhandle of 20-30 cm. Binding not too tight to give space for plant growth and so as not to injure the stem.
Fertilization and care
a. fertilization
In the early period of growth of fertilizer needed should contain a lot of nitrogen (N). In the flowering or fruiting phase use fertilizer that contains phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). The use of urea is not recommended to cultivate dragon fruit, as they often lead to stem rot.
Fertilization with compost or manure is done every 3 months with doses of 5-10 kg per planting hole. At the time of flowering and fruiting provide additional fertilizer NPK and ZK, respectively 50 and 20 grams per planting hole. In the following year multiply the fertilizer dosage in accordance with the size of the plant. Additional fertilizer in the form of liquid organic fertilizer, biological fertilizer or fruit stimulating hormone can be given to maximize results.
b. sprinkling
Watering can be done by flowing water in drainage ditches. It also can use hype or drip irrigation. Drip irrigation system more efficient water and labor but need considerable investment.
Watering with a drainage ditch made ​​by soaking the trench for approximately 2 hours. When watering is done by hype, each planting hole watered with 4-5 liters of water. Frequency of watering 3 times a day in the dry season, or in accordance with the conditions of the soil.
Watering can be reduced or terminated when the plants start flowering and fruiting. Reduction or cessation of watering aims to suppress the growth of new shoots so that the growth of the fruit can be maximized. Watering is still being done when the soil looks dry and the plants wilt from lack of water.
c. pruning
There are at least three types of cuts in cultivating dragon fruit, which is to form the main stem pruning, trimming branches forming production and rejuvenation pruning.
Pruning is done to form the main stem of plant seedlings. Good plant has a long main stem, large and sturdy. To get the select shoots that grow at the very top of the stem beginning. Growing shoots should be cut just below it.
Trimming branches to form a production done on shoots that grow on the main stem. Choose 3-4 shoots to growth. Later this will be a stem bud production and grow hanging down. Branch of the best that is on the top, about 30 cm from the top end.
Rejuvenation pruning is done to the branches of production that are less productive. Fruit usually 3-4 times. The result of this rejuvenation clipping can be a source of plant seeds.
Things to consider in pruning is to shape the plant. Dragon fruit plants usually grow irregularly. Strive for selected shoots can form a good crop. So it is not too dense branching and existing under the canopy rods could be exposed to maximum sunlight.
Technical guide dragon fruit cultivation
harvesting
Dragon fruit plants live longer. Productive cycle is 15-20 years. Dragon fruit cultivation began to bear fruit for the first time in 10 to 12 months from the date of planting. However, if the size of the seed crop is smaller, first harvest could reach 1.5-2 years commencing after planting. Productivity at the first harvest usually indirect optimal.
The plants typically produce 1 kg of fruit. In one there is a 4 pole climbing plants. Means the number of tonggal 1600 in one acre will produce about 6-7 tons of dragon fruit once the harvest season. Dragon fruit cultivation that can successfully produce more than 50 tons of fruit per hectare per year.
The characteristics of the fruit is ready to harvest skin had begun shiny red. Tufts of reddish-colored fruit, the color green has begun to diminish. Crown and base of the smaller pieces of fruit buds or wrinkled. Rounded fruit size weighing about 400-600 grams.