DURIAN CULTURAL MANAGEMENT
Clean the area in the field thoroughly free from any kind of weeds.Remove
all the weeds away from the place of planting. Plow and harrow twice to
loosen the soil. The planting holes should be 40 cm (inside). Ensure that
depth of the hole is also 40 cm (height) to give space for the fertilization of
the plants.
The 2 feet planting materials should be planted 10 meters apart in straight
line (horizontal). The vertical distance should be 7.5 meters space between
the horizontal lines. A one hectare space can accommodate less than 200
trees per hectare. Durian can be grown 800 meters from sea level. It is
most favorable to a well-drained sandy loam or clay loam soil.
There are many varieties of Durian. Chanee variety is now popular from
fruit lovers because of its glutinous (sweet) flesh and excellent eating
quality.
Put a drainage canal with the measurement of 50 cm deep and 30 cm
wide at the bottom and to every other row to make your field well-drained.
Use basal fertilization. Use 40 grams of basal fertilizer (18-46-0) per tree.
Every 2 months use 10 grams, 4th month (20 grams), 6th months (30
grams), 8th month (40 grams), 10th month (50 grams), 1 year (60 grams).
When the Durian trees become 2 years old, apply fertilizer at the rate of 70
grams (14-14-14) per tree in 14th months, 16th months (1oo grams), 18
months (130 grams), 20th month (170 grams), 22th months (210 grams)
and 2 years (250 grams).
Plant the tree seedlings by removing the plastic bags. Ensure that the ball
of soil is intact in order not to be disturb the root system. Fill half the hole
with the basal fertilizer of 18-46-0) along with the seedling. Put the seedling
in the hole where the upper part of the ball of soil is at the same level to
that of the ground. Start putting top soil to the hole and press the soil
gently.
To protect the seedlings from the heat of the sun, use coconut leaves as
shade in the duration of 3 months, If there is no rain during the time of your
planting, water it thoroughly and daily to ensure the health condition of the
plants.
Use foliar fertilizer (complete) to spray the plants every week during first
year. Spray monthly on the 2nd year of growth.
Use fungicides to spray the plants to control fungal disease. Use
insecticides to control plant’s pests. Spraying should be done every 15
days when it started to have a new leaves.
If the plant is attacked by phytopthora disease, spray the whole tree with
fungicides. During the continuous rain, use 5 tablespoon of Ridonil
dissolved in the water and use it to paint the back of the stem about 75 cm
above the ground.
Most of the insects that attack Durian trees are psyllids, seeds and fruit
borer. But spraying it with insecticides every 15 days can control its
infestation.
If the plants is fully grown, do the pruning of trees. It is necessary to
remove cut-off leaves, diseased branches, or broken stems. Regular
pruning will make a good shape of plant’s canopy. If the stem is equally
distributed around the plants, it will enhance the production of the fruits.
