Fig cultivation technology and key points

I believe everyone wants to know about fig cultivation technology. Let me give you a detailed introduction below. I hope you like it.

Fig cultivation technology

Figs are native to Mediterranean countries and are one of the oldest cultivated fruit trees in the world. They were introduced to my country as early as the Han Dynasty. Figs are cryptic inflorescences formed by the expansion of the receptacle. The small flowers are hidden in the receptacle. People can only see the false fruits formed by the receptacle, but not the flowers, so they are called "figs". They are perennial deciduous fruit trees. Figs have a long fruiting period, with summer fruits and autumn fruits. Figs have strong adaptability and are not strict with soil. They can grow normally in an environment with a temperature not lower than -12℃. In the cold season in northern my country, cold and heat preservation measures can also be taken to plant them. They are drought-tolerant, shade-tolerant, and salt-alkali-tolerant, and have the advantages of fast growth, early fruiting, and high yield.

There are many techniques for growing figs.

There are many ways to propagate figs, and cuttings are generally used. Cuttings can be used in most months of the year and have a high survival rate.

1. Key points of cutting seedling raising technology

1. Site selection: Choose soil without salt or alkali. Although it is salt-alkali resistant, it contains slightly higher salt and alkali content, and is easily harmed and killed during the cutting period. Fertile sandy loam and soil with high organic matter content are preferred.

2. Cuttings: Cuttings should be collected in autumn when the leaves fall and the sap stops flowing. If cuttings are collected in spring, they should be collected before germination. Cuttings are collected from the ground or the budding branches at the bottom of the mother tree's trunk. To ensure storage quality, the cuttings should be soaked in clean water for about 3 days before storage. After being picked up, they should be placed on a layer of fine sand and watered appropriately to keep the soil moist.

3. Cutting method: Use cuttings with appropriate thickness, smooth cut without stubble or split, and about 20 cm in length for cutting. The land should be finely leveled and fertilized to make a bed according to the local conditions. Generally, the bed is 50 cm wide and about 33 cm high, or 35 cm small ridges are made with a ridge distance of about 35 cm. Cutting and watering are carried out as the ridges are made. The cutting depth is 17-18 cm. The cutting time should be about 3 days before the local healing and rooting period. At this time, cutting can reduce the impact of adverse external climate and its healing and growth speed is fast.

4. Management after cutting: Although fig cuttings are easy to heal and take root, attention should also be paid to the management after cutting. The key points of management are:

① During the healing tissue formation period, the temperature requirement is relatively high and the low temperature should be raised in time; at the same time, the water supply should be strengthened. In the late stage of healing and rooting, a large number of hair roots grow out of the cuttings. At this time, the temperature gradually rises, and attention should be paid to increasing the moisture in the soil.

② Avoid watering with muddy water after healing and rooting and during the leafing period to prevent the leaves from becoming mushy. This should be paid more attention to for cuttings on low beds.

③ Insist on watering according to the soil moisture conditions. If the soil is moist, water less or not at all. If the soil is dry, water more. Keep the soil moist.

④ Fig seedlings are not cold-resistant, so they must be protected from cold (freezing) and kept warm before the first frost or late spring cold. A simple method is to bury them in soil or cover them with straw mats, leaves, straw and other covering materials.

⑤ When the seedlings enter the vegetative growth period, apply nitrogen-based compound fertilizer once a month. The amount of fertilizer applied will gradually increase with the age of the seedlings. As the root system of the seedlings deepens, deep trench fertilization is more effective, but be careful to avoid damaging the roots when applying fertilizer.

Fig cultivation tips

1. Planting: It can be planted in pots or on barren slopes, fields, and courtyards. For planting on barren slopes, fields, and courtyards, the planting density is generally increased appropriately to 1×2 meters, and the depth of a single planting pit is 50-70 cm. The diameter is 40-60 cm, and a mixed fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium (such as human and livestock manure, poultry manure, green manure, cake fertilizer, chemical compound fertilizer) is used as the base fertilizer. The appropriate planting period in North China should be around Qingming Festival, and in Northeast China it should be around Grain Rain. In the south, it can be transplanted and planted after the leaves fall in autumn, but the flowering and fruiting period should be avoided.

2. Shaping and pruning: The shaping and pruning of figs is relatively simple, and the pruning and shaping technology requirements are not high. Generally, the natural open-heart pruning method with multiple main branches is adopted, but 3-5 main branches should be retained on the whole plant, and no side branches should be left. The main branch group is directly attached to the main branch. During the young tree period, focus on cultivating the main branches, and pay attention to raising the angle of the main branches to promote multiple branches, so as to achieve the purpose of rapidly expanding the crown. After entering the initial fruiting period, pay attention to cultivating more branch groups to promote the formation of a certain yield. During the peak fruiting period, pay attention to cultivating backbone branches, renewing large and medium-sized branch groups, and pruning weak branch groups. For trees with aging or serious diseases and insect pests, the sprouting branches or hidden buds from the base or branches can be used to re-cultivate the main branches and branch groups. Figs start to mature from mid-July to November. Figs should generally be picked in the morning or evening on a sunny day. When a small hole is slightly opened on the top of the ripe fruit and the skin shows the color of the inherent variety (mostly red and yellow varieties), pick them. Overripe fruits cannot withstand storage and transportation after harvest.

3. Fertilizer and water management: During the growth period of young fig trees, if the base fertilizer is insufficient, fertilizer should be applied. The method is to apply about 5 kg of decomposed miscellaneous fertilizer to each plant at about 40 cm away from the main root; at least 1 kg is applied to potted plants. Apply about 15 kg of decomposed farmyard manure to mature trees, apply base fertilizer before and after leaf fall, and topdressing should be done during the vigorous growth period of new shoots and the rapid expansion period of fruits. Figs are more tolerant to fertilizers, but phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be applied more. Generally, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is 0.5:1:1. Because it is more drought-resistant and not waterlogged, it requires more water during the growth of new shoots and the expansion of fruits. However, long-term waterlogging or heavy waterlogging can easily cause falling flowers, falling fruits, falling leaves, and even death. Therefore, attention should also be paid to drainage. Potted plants should also pay attention to drainage, especially in the rainy season after heavy rain or rainstorms, and pay attention to rain shelter or inverted pots to control water.

4. Disease and pest control: Figs are less susceptible to diseases and pests. During the fruit growth period, the special smell emitted to the surrounding area is easy to attract the harm of mulberry field cattle; when the fruit is ripe, it is easy to be harmed by birds. In addition to catching mulberry field cattle manually and driving away birds, insect eggs can be killed manually or with drugs. You can also use scarecrows tied with plastic colored strips to drive away birds in the field.