Method of Growing Pitaya on the Balcony
In comparison with the common content of growing pitaya at home for most people, I will introduce the method of growing pitaya on the balcony next.
I am an enthusiast of growing pitaya on the balcony. I enjoy planting and nurturing, and I would like to summarize some of my experiences, hoping they will be helpful to beginners. Please forgive any mistakes I may have made. Let me first talk about varieties. Many beginners look for popular new varieties such as Yanwo, Mixuanlong, Wuchihuang, and other high-end varieties. Not only are they expensive, but they may not be suitable for your environment. I have planted some varieties and will now discuss the pros and cons of a few, hoping that beginners can refer to them when choosing a variety.
Hongmi Long: Self-pollinating, very sweet when not planted, a feeling of first love. Some say it is not cold-resistant, but I haven't found any severe frostbite in Guangzhou. The缺点 is that the flowering and fruiting periods are long, about 20 days longer than red-fleshed varieties. The fruit is not large, with thick skin. It is not recommended to plant many or any at all in limited space on a rooftop or balcony.
Double Color: Self-pollinating, better taste and higher sweetness than varieties like Jindu, Dahong, and Mingzhu. The缺点 is that the fruit is not as large as Jindu and Mingzhu, and the sugar returns after cracking, affecting the taste.
Jindu: Wide branches, self-pollinating, a good variety with large and beautiful fruit, high yield, and acceptable sweetness, the main target for fruit-eating.
Mingzhu: Wide branches, self-pollinating, a good variety with large and beautiful fruit, high yield, and acceptable sweetness, the main target for fruit-eating.
Dahong Series: Wide branches, self-pollinating, a good variety with large and beautiful fruit, high yield, slightly less sweet than Jindu and Mingzhu, the main target for fruit-eating.
Ziwan: Self-pollinating, good taste, acceptable sweetness, large fruit. Xie Laozhang grows it well, easily over a pound. My results are small (laughs, not skilled enough).
(T-W) Bai Long: Self-pollinating, poor root system, root rot several times! Very refreshing taste, cut, cut, cut (laughs, maybe I planted fake Bai Long).
There are also other varieties, which I won't discuss one by one! In short, for friends with limited space on a rooftop or balcony who mainly want to eat fruit, it is recommended to choose Jindu, Mingzhu, Dahong Series, and Xiangmi Long.
Ziwan, Shuangse, and others can be chosen. As for new varieties like Mixuanlong, Tanglong, Juzi 1234, Xixianghong, 450, I haven't tried them, so I won't comment. I can't afford them! I am only looking at it from the perspective of rooftop balcony gardeners, not on behalf of farmers! I am also a beginner, so please forgive any mistakes. Also, different growing conditions may yield different results!
After talking about varieties, let's talk about planting.
Pitaya Growing Substrate:
Many plants prefer loose soil rich in organic matter. For urban rooftop balcony gardeners, it seems difficult to get a good substrate, but it's not that difficult! Now, with the万能 TB, you can find everything. I suggest you don't need to buy any nutrient-rich soil, it's better to mix your own. 1. Perlite, 20 yuan for 70L, 2. Rice husk, 1 yuan per jin, 3. Tree bark, sawdust (find at the local bamboo and wood market, free), 4. Sheep manure, chicken manure, etc., base fertilizer can be bought online for about 1 yuan per jin! 5. Soil, do as you wish, about 30% of the total, mixed with others! Just spend 100 yuan to buy these 2-3 types of substrates, enough for you to plant many pitaya plants.
Pitaya Support Structure:
For friends in places with frost and snow, they need to move indoors for winter. The架子 should not be too high, about 80CM is fine. The branches close to the ground are nearly 1 meter long, and the pot does not need to be large, about 30CM is enough for one plant! The架子 can be securely connected with PVC pipes. Use glass glue to secure the架子 to the pot, and if the substrate is well mixed, you can lift the entire plant with the pot and branches (plastic pot) and move it indoors. For those with children who are worried about getting pricked, you can actually break off the thorns without affecting the next year's growth or fruiting. For pitaya overwintering, do not water. If it's too dry, you can spray some water at the roots. How to spray, I don't have experience, just keep it dry, pitaya won't die from drought (don't argue). For friends without frost in the south, the架子 can be a bit higher, and if not in a pot, you can also make a fixed架子 on the rooftop, which looks nicer.
Pitaya Grafting:
Pitaya is easy to graft. Grafting can quickly expand varieties and also allow for quick fruit consumption. The rootstock must be selected to be wide and thick for good growth of the grafted seedlings. The scion should not be too long or too short, as it will take longer for the rootstock to fatten the scion to sprout if it's too long, and it's easy to lose water if it's too short. I recommend a length of 15mm-25mm! I think flat grafting sprouts quickly, and I always use it. One tree can also be grafted with multiple varieties. Regarding grafting techniques.
Pitaya Sprouting:
Pitaya is a climbing plant and needs a support structure. Do not leave any sprouts below the structure, only leave one main branch. When it grows to the height of the structure, you can top it to promote branching growth, or wait until it's longer and then pull the branches down. When the branches grow, many sprouts will appear. In autumn and the following spring, not the fruiting season, suitable growing temperatures will also cause a lot of sprouting. It is recommended to leave 1-2 sprouts at a time. Too many sprouts will分散 the nutrients, and the branches won't be wide and strong, resulting in small fruit. If it was planted last year and already has fruiting branches, by March and April, you should control the sprouts, removing the new ones to fatten the branches.
Pitaya Pollination:
Self-pollination is using pollen from the same variety or the same flower to pollinate the pistil in the center! For cross-pollination, pollen from other varieties is needed, otherwise, it won't fruit.
Pitaya Flower Cutting:
Many people like to harvest both flowers and fruit, and it's also possible to taste the flowers. Pitaya generally blooms after 6 PM. After pollination, you can cut a circle at the 5th scale without injuring the pistil in the center, and do not cut all the way through.
You can also make a notch and directly break it off. It's not that fragile, don't worry too much! Again, do not cut the "JJ," or you'll have to bear the consequences.
Pitaya Fertilizing:
Pitaya likes fertilizer and water. With good substrate, applying liquid fertilizer once a week will make it grow strong! About 20 grams of compound liquid fertilizer per pot is fine!
Pitaya is easy to plant, with relatively few pests and diseases. In Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and Fujian, as long as the substrate is well mixed and there is sunlight, it's almost as simple as planting and waiting to eat! Of course, if you want it to be good, you need to manage it regularly. Well, that's all for now, hoping it helps those who are even less experienced than me. Please forgive any mistakes!
The above [] introduces the full content of the method of growing pitaya on the balcony (suitable for beginners), hoping it helps green plant enthusiasts!