Everything about planting, growing and harvesting pistachios
Pistachios are one of the popular foods that have a high nutritional value and are very important due to their nutrients. Iran is the largest producer of pistachios in the world, and Kerman province and Rafsanjan city are the main centers of pistachio production in Iran. Pistachio cultivation is long-term because pistachio has a long growth period and you have to wait 8 years to reach the product, but the high value of pistachio and its export ability is worth waiting and planting and growing pistachio.
How to plant pistachios:
You can get the pistachio tree product in two ways, either plant pistachio seedlings and get the product earlier, or plant pistachio seeds and take care of them until they grow and bear fruit.
Planting pistachio seedlings:
In order to get a pistachio tree product, plant male and female pistachio seedlings together, that is, plant 1 male tree for every 15 female trees. It is very difficult to distinguish between male and female seedlings before the age of 7, so you should plant several seedlings that you think are male among the female seedlings to make sure there is a male.
Planting seeds:
To plant pistachio seeds, buy raw seeds from reputable seed stores and then follow the steps below:
- Place the seeds in a wet towel or tissue and sometimes turn the seeds aside to allow air to flow.
- Store the wet towel at room temperature.
- Wait a week for the seeds to germinate.
- After the seeds have germinated, transfer them to a small cup or pot. Make sure the bottom of the pot has a hole for water to drain out.
- After the seeds have rooted, transfer them to larger pots, keep them in a large pot until the seeds reach the size of seedlings and do not plant outside.
- Seedlings should live in pots until they are 3 or 4 years old, and then plant them in the garden in autumn or spring. During this time, you should pay attention to the brain material of the soil and strengthen the soil.
- To plant pistachio seedlings, dig a hole twice the height of the root that is twice as wide as the diameter of the root ball so that the roots of the seedling have room to grow.
- Place the plant in the pit and keep it vertical and fill the soil around the root.
After placing the seedling, be sure to irrigate until the empty pores are filled with water to prevent the roots from rotting. - Care and maintenance of pistachio seedlings
- Need sunlight
- Place the pistachio seedling in a place where the sunlight shines on it completely.
Suitable soil for growing pistachios
Pistachios need a nutty soil and a pH between 7 and 7.5, which means that the acidity of the soil should be neutral, so check the soil for acidity and nutty content before planting.
The distance between pistachio trees
When planting pistachio seedlings, pay attention to the distance between them. The distance between pistachio trees should be 4 to 5 meters and you should leave a distance of 5 to 6 meters between their rows because pistachios should grow up to 10 meters.
Irrigation of pistachio tree
Pistachio trees do not need daily or even weekly watering. The soil of the cultivation site should be dry between two irrigations. The best way to water the pistachio tree is every other week. You don’t need to water your tree in the rainy months, but you should water the tree in the less rainy months.
In case of monthly irrigation, the irrigation should be deep enough to have a suitable reserve to continue. Too much moisture and water may cause the leaves to turn yellow. In winter, your tree goes to sleep and does not need to be watered. After January, you can not water the tree until spring.
Fertilizing pistachios
Spring is the best time to fertilize the pistachio tree. Fertilizing the pistachio tree in the spring helps your tree bloom and grow faster. 10-10-10 fertilizer contains mineral and organic substances such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium. Apply half a cup of fertilizer for every 2 inches of tree diameter. Never fertilize trees with more than 5 cups.
Fertilize twice a year and place the fertilizer at a distance of 30 cm from the tree and under the soil and water after fertilizing to make it easy for the tree to use.
Pistachio tree pruning
As mentioned in this section, the best time for pruning is winter. Your tree does not need heavy pruning. Heavy pruning and cutting some branches will reduce the growth of the tree. When pruning, choose one branch as the main trunk and remove the branches that cause shadow on the main trunk. Remove any branches that are about 60 to 70 cm below the soil surface.
weed
Remove all weeds and keep the planting site weed free.
A good place to plant pistachios
Areas with cold winters and hot summers with some rain are suitable for growing pistachios. Semi-arid desert places are also suitable for growing pistachios.
High areas are not good places for growing pistachios because they often have low temperatures. Wet areas are not suitable for planting and growing pistachios.
The suitable air temperature for growing pistachios should be more than 37 degrees Celsius, and pistachios cannot survive in temperatures below 9 degrees below zero.