When do pitaya bloom and bear fruit
Answer netizens' questions about the growth environment requirements of pitaya and the knowledge of when pitaya blooms and bears fruit. Next, the editor will introduce to everyone.
Pitaya is a perennial climbing succulent plant of the Cereus genus in the Cactaceae family. The fruit of pitaya is juicy and sweet, rich in nutrients, and has a unique flavor, widely loved by consumers. Let's take a look at how many years it takes for pitaya to bear fruit!
I. Growth environment requirements of pitaya
Pitaya is a tropical and subtropical fruit that is light-loving, shade-tolerant, heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant, fertilizer-loving, and barren-tolerant.
In a warm and humid environment with sufficient light, it grows rapidly, can tolerate low temperatures of 0°C and high temperatures of 40°C, and the optimal growth temperature is between 25-35°C. It can adapt to a variety of soils, but it prefers neutral and slightly acidic soils with high humus content and water and fertilizer retention.
In the spring and summer open field cultivation, more watering is needed to keep the roots growing vigorously. In consecutive rainy days, it is necessary to drain the water in time to avoid infection by bacteria causing stem and flesh rot. Its stems can also grow on rocks, and the plant has strong wind resistance. As long as the support is firm, it can resist typhoons.
II. How many years does it take for pitaya planted in the ground to bear fruit?
Pitaya planted in the ground has abundant nutrients and growth space, and it will bloom and bear fruit 12-14 months after planting. Pitaya has a long blooming period and strong blooming ability, and it will bloom from May to October.
The fruiting period follows the blooming period, usually the fruit matures 30-40 days after the flowers fade, with a single fruit weight of 500-1000 grams. In the second year after planting, each pillar can produce more than 20 fruits, and in the third year, it enters the full fruiting period, with a yield of up to 2500 kilograms per mu.
Key points for high-yield cultivation of pitaya planted in the ground:
1. Pinching: When the branches grow to 1.3-1.4 meters long, pinch them to promote branching and let the branches hang naturally.
2. Interplanting and artificial pollination: When planting pitaya, interplant about 10% white-fleshed pitaya. Varieties pollinate each other, which can significantly increase the fruit-setting rate. If遇到 overcast and rainy weather, artificial pollination should be carried out. Pollination can be done in the evening when the flowers are open or in the morning before the flowers close, using a brush to directly apply pollen to the pistil of the female flower.
3. Pruning branches: After harvesting each year, cut off the branches that have borne fruit to allow new branches to grow, ensuring the yield for the next year. Pitaya planting methods are diverse, it can be planted on walls or in greenhouses, but the most common is columnar cultivation, which has the advantages of low production cost and high land utilization.
4. Apply thin fertilizer frequently: Since the fruit harvesting period is long, organic fertilizer should be applied heavily each year, and nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizers should be applied evenly and for a long time.
During the flowering and fruiting period, supplement potassium and magnesium fertilizers to promote sugar accumulation in the fruit and improve quality. Keep the soil moist during the fruiting period and cover the tree base with grass or mushroom residue. When the weather is dry, water every 3-4 days. Like other cacti, pitaya has a smaller growth volume than conventional fruit trees. Therefore, fertilization should follow the principle of sufficient, small, and frequent.
III. How many years does it take for potted pitaya to bear fruit?
Potted pitaya can be divided into two situations. The first situation is to start from seeds, which takes about 4-5 years from sowing to fruiting. Some may bloom in the third year, but they can't bear fruit, so the cycle is a bit long for most gardening enthusiasts.
The second situation has a much shorter cycle, which is that we directly buy pitaya branches. In this way, the advantages of potted pitaya are many, such as a short fruiting cycle. If well cared for, it can bear fruit in the second year. The variety is controllable, and we can buy good varieties of pitaya.
When do pitaya bloom and bear fruit
Precautions for potted pitaya:
1. Temperature: Many northern gardening enthusiasts also pot pitaya, but it should be noted that the winter temperature of pitaya cannot be lower than 8°C, otherwise it is easy to freeze to death or get frostbite.
2. Fertilization: Since it is potted pitaya, attention should be paid to fertilization. Like other cacti, pitaya has a smaller growth volume than conventional fruit trees. Therefore, fertilization should follow the principle of sufficient, small, and frequent. For young trees (1-2 years old), apply nitrogen fertilizer mainly to promote tree growth. For mature trees (3 years old and above), apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers mainly and control the amount of nitrogen fertilizer.
3. Pollination: Although pitaya has self-pollination fertility, the fruit-setting rate of self-pollination is low, so artificial pollination is required during the pitaya flowering period.
4. Remove flower buds: In the fruiting period management of pitaya, many flower buds will appear on a branch. Keep the strong and remove the weak flower buds. Do not fill them with flower buds, as insufficient fertilizer may result in poor growth of pitaya.
5. Pruning: After the fruit has been harvested, the branches that have borne fruit should be pruned heavily to allow the remaining strong base branches to grow new branches to ensure the fruit-setting rate for the next year.
IV. Common types of pitaya
1. White-fleshed pitaya
White-fleshed pitaya has red skin and white flesh, fresh food quality is general, the production period in Taiwan, Guangdong, and Guangxi is from June to October, self-pollination compatibility is good, fruit-setting rate is high, disease resistance is strong, yield is high, can be processed into juice, powder, and jam.
At present, the best variety of white-fleshed pitaya is Vietnam No.1, which is the main cultivated variety in Vietnam. It has strong adaptability, fast growth, large fruit size, and no spines on the surface, with an average single fruit weight of 420 grams and a maximum of 1000 grams. Soluble solids content is 18.1%, high yield, with a yield of 16500-27500 kilograms per hectare.
2. Red-fleshed pitaya
The flesh of red pitaya is red or purple-red, fresh food quality is good, production period in Taiwan, Guangdong, and Guangxi is from May to November, and longer in Hainan.
Red-fleshed pitaya has poor self-compatibility, low fruit-setting rate of self-pollination, small fruit size, poor commercial quality, and requires pollination by white-fleshed pitaya, with high fruit-setting rate and large fruit size. At present, the variety names of red-fleshed pitaya are chaotic, with no confirmed variety names, and each grower determines them according to their preferences.
3. Yellow-skinned pitaya
Yellow-skinned pitaya has yellow skin and white flesh, fresh food quality is good, flowers are large and fragrant, it takes 45-60 days from bud formation to flowering, and 90-100 days from flowering to fruit maturity, while it takes 110-150 days to mature in autumn and winter.
The fruit does not crack, it takes 1 month (in winter) to turn from green to yellow, and it can be left on the tree for more than one month without affecting the quality. It is the best type of pitaya in terms of quality and sweetness.
It has a fragrant aroma, the seeds in the flesh are large and soft, not at all obstructive, soluble solids content is 18% or more, but the fruit is slightly small, generally about 200 grams, the main fruiting period (autumn and winter fruit) is around the Spring Festival, and the summer fruit is on the market during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The introduction of pitaya's growth environment requirements and the specific introduction of when pitaya blooms and bears fruit by the Green Plant Enthusiast Network are for netizens' reference.