Pepper tree removal technique

Down the pepper tree determines the root system, the direction of the wire and the ability to hold on in the future. Instructions for preparing posts, digging holes, placing pots, planting cuttings, temporary covering and taking care of the first 30 days for orchards in the Central Highlands and Southeast.

Summary: Taking down a pepper tree looks simple, but making mistakes in this step will follow the orchard for many years: negative planting causes the root neck to become waterlogged, placing the wire in the wrong direction makes it difficult for the pepper to hold on, untreated holes cause young roots to encounter fungal diseases. This article provides instructions from preparing the posts, digging holes to placing pots/cuttings and taking care of them for the first 30 days.

Applies to: Newly planted or replanted pepper orchards in the Central Highlands and Southeast; living pillars, concrete pillars, brick pillars.
Duration: Prepare 1-2 months before planting; down the tree at the beginning of the rainy season or when you can proactively water it.
Difficulty level: Basic but need to do each hole carefully.
Estimated additional costs: Depending on the type of pillar and seedling; Just treating pits and lining fertilizer costs about 10-20 million VND per hectare.

Choose the time to come down from the tree

The best time is the beginning of the rainy season when the soil is moist enough but not yet under prolonged rain. If the orchard has active irrigation, there may be more flexibility, but should still be avoided:

Long lasting hot sun.
Continuous heavy rain causes the planting holes to become waterlogged.
The stage when the soil is still too dry and has not yet regained moisture.
The orchard has not yet completed drainage.

Young pepper is very sensitive to root collar waterlogging. Moist soil is good, soggy soil is dangerous.

Prepare the pillar

Concrete pillars or brick pillars

With cast/brick pillars:

Erection of posts about 1-1.5 months before planting.
Let the rain wash away the mortar, mortar, and alkali on the cylinder surface.
Check that the pillar is sturdy and not tilted.
Treat drainage ditches around rows before planting.

You should not set up the post and plant it immediately if the post is still hot and smells of new mortar.

Living pillar

With spine:

It's best to plant pepper 1-2 years before pepper to have enough stem and canopy.
If planted at the same time, it is necessary to install temporary posts for the pepper to climb during the first period.
Prune the living branches moderately, keeping the shade for the young pepper.
Don't let the water-repelling pole hang too hard around the pepper's base.

Living poles are more ecologically sustainable but require canopy and root management.

Dig a planting hole

There are two common ways.

Dig two holes on both sides of the pillar

One gourd in each hole:

50-60 centimeters long.
50-60 centimeters wide.
About 50 centimeters deep.
Place two symmetrical holes on both sides of the pillar.

This method helps the two strings grow evenly around the cylinder, making it easy to replace if one bulb is weak.

Dig a hole on one side of the pillar

One hole for planting two bulbs:

80 centimeters long.
80 centimeters wide.
About 70 centimeters deep.
The two bulbs are placed at an angle, pointing the buds towards the pillar.

This method is suitable where the soil is good and easy to care for, but the hole needs to be treated carefully to avoid waterlogging.

When digging holes, keep top soil and deep soil separate. Top soil is usually richer in organic matter, use mixed fertilizer to backfill around the roots.

Treat holes before planting

The hole should be prepared 15-30 days in advance:

Mix topsoil with 10-15 kilograms of manure per hole.
Add fused phosphorus 0.2-0.3 kilograms per hole.
Add 0.2-0.3 kilograms of lime if the soil is acidic.
Mix Trichoderma into decomposed compost.
Fill the hole and water lightly to keep it moist.

Do not use fresh manure. Young pepper roots are easily burned and infected with fungus if the manure is not rotten.

How to plant pepper

When planting with pots:

Tear the bulb gently, without breaking the soil.
Place the bulb slightly tilted towards the cylinder.
Direction of pepper shoots facing the pillar.
The potting surface is level with the ground, do not plant in the background.
Fill the soil and gently compact it around the pot.
Water lightly immediately after planting.

Easy to remember rule: dig the hole deep but plant shallow. The hole is deep so that the soil can be treated well, but the root neck of the pepper must be high and clear.

How to plant with cuttings

If planting with cuttings:

Choose healthy, pest-free cuttings.
Place the cuttings about 45 degrees above the ground.
The tips of the cuttings point towards the pillar.
Bury 3 burns in the ground.
Leave 2 segments on the ground.
Squeeze the soil tightly around the cuttings so that the cuttings have good soil contact.

Growing cuttings requires more stable moisture than growing pots. If the sun is hot, you need to cover it carefully.

Temporarily cover and tie with string after planting

After coming down from the tree:

Cover the sun with coconut leaves, net or breathable material for the first 2-4 weeks.
If you don't cover it, it will suffocate.
When the rope begins to stretch, tie it lightly to the temporary or main post.
Check the wire once a week.
Do not tie the leaves and fruit branches, just tie the main stem.

If young pepper is spilled out, the roots clinging to the node do not contact the pillar, the tree is slow to climb and produce fruit branches.

Care for the first 30 days

Irrigate to keep evenly moist, do not overwater.
Check for waterlogging after every heavy rain.
Miles of land if the roots are washed away.
Pluck the weeds around the base by hand, avoiding breaking the roots.
Do not fertilize with strong chemical fertilizers in the first 2-3 weeks.
Observe root collar rot, vine wilting, termites, ants.

The first 30 days determine survival rate. Once the pepper tree has taken root, care will be much lighter in the following months.

Follow down the tree

[ ] Percentage of plants surviving after 7 days, 15 days, 30 days.
[ ] Which hole is flooded after rain?
[ ] Which tree is slow to bud?
[ ] Is the wire facing the pillar?
[ ] Are there any signs of root rot or termite damage?

If the mortality rate is over 5 percent in the first month, you need to review the water, fertilizer, seed quality and potting method.

Common mistakes

Plant in the negative for "firm roots": the root neck gets squashed and easily rots when it rains.

Do not treat the hole first: young roots encounter bad soil, fungal diseases and nematodes.

Place the pot upright, with the buds facing out: the vine will have difficulty holding on.

Using fresh manure: roots burn, root rot.

Do not temporarily cover: young pepper suffers from sun damage, vines wilt.

Take notes

The day you came down from the tree.
Seed source, type of seed.
Cylinder type.
How to dig holes and amount of fertilizer.
Survival rate after 30 days.
Number of trees that must be replanted.

This data is useful when comparing between lots or between seed sources.

References

*Pepper tree removal technique* — Hainong technical document.
*Training materials on good pepper production techniques* — National Agricultural Extension Center.
*Technical process of planting, caring for and harvesting pepper* — Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.