A Detailed Guide to Gonggan Mandarin Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods

Does anyone like Gonggan mandarins? How much do you know about Gonggan mandarins? Do you know how to grow Gonggan mandarins? Do you understand Gonggan mandarin cultivation techniques and management methods? I have gathered a lot of relevant information for everyone, hoping it will be helpful. Friends who are interested in sour oranges can take a look with me and add to your general knowledge.

How to Grow Gonggan Mandarins

1. The season is very important. The general planting season: mostly planted in winter, or spring; autumn planting is also possible, depending on the situation (ground preparation), weather, labor and other conditions; generally, planting is done when the new shoots of the nursery stock have matured and before budding, so be sure to choose the right season.

2. There is also the planting spacing: row spacing 2.5×3 (m), 80~100 plants per mu, according to the spacing.

3. Planting method: Rice fields should be made into raised beds and planted on mounds. The mound is 30 cm high and 50 cm wide. Dry land needs holes dug, sufficient base fertilizer applied, and at planting time the roots should be dipped in yellow mud slurry, then watered thoroughly with settling water; after that, it should be kept moist every day so it can survive.

1. Post-Planting Management

1. Management of young trees. The management of young trees is mainly based on shaping, and it should be noted that one- and two-year-old trees flush 4 times (spring flush, Xiaoman flush, Xiaoshu flush and Bailu flush); three-year-old trees (first bearing) flush 3 times (spring flush, Xiaoshu——Dashu flush, flush around Bailu); trees over 4 years old flush 2 to 3 times (spring flush, autumn flush, or spring flush plus a little late summer flush added to the stack).

2. Flushing method. Each time the tip length is 15 to 20 cm, the top is pinched, and the branches are lifted, and each tip leaves 2 to 3 tips, and the final tip is not pinched.

3. Flushing of fruiting trees. It is necessary to focus on cultivating high-quality fruit-bearing branches. In principle, flush according to trees over four years old. The standard for flushing is: when more than 70% of the branches in the entire orchard begin to sprout, flushing can begin. The method is to manually remove early and scattered new buds, remove the early and keep the uniform ones, so as to promote more, neat, and robust new shoots, which generally mature in November and December.

2. Timely and Appropriate Fertilization

1. Young trees (1 to 2 years). Implement the principle of frequent application of thin fertilizer. Achieve three fertilizers per flush (bud-promoting fertilizer, shoot-strengthening fertilizer, and green-turning fertilizer). Summer greening, winter soil and fertilizer application, green manure to the soil, and cultivating soil strength.

2. Fruiting trees. Heavily apply “Great Cold” fertilizer (pre-flowering fertilizer), autumn shoot fertilizer, and pre-harvest fertilizer, and supplement with flower-emergence fertilizer, flower-fall fertilizer, and fruit-strengthening fertilizer. The amount of fertilizer applied should be determined according to tree age, canopy size and fruit load. Autumn shoot fertilizer generally has an application amount of 0.5~1 kg/plant of cake fertilizer and 0.25~0.5 kg/plant of chemical fertilizer each time; the fertilization plan for other periods depends on the strength of the tree and the number of fruits.

Gonggan Mandarin Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods

1. Gonggan Mandarin Cultivation Techniques

1. Land preparation and building mounds

The method is to first plow the ground, then crush or erect mounds according to the plant lines. The mound is 100 cm wide and 30 cm~40 cm high; afterward, the mound is expanded with soil.

2. Building irrigation and drainage ditches

To build irrigation and drainage ditches, a three-level irrigation system must be adopted. One year after planting, deep ditch digging begins; within 3 years, the bed ditch should reach 40 cm~50 cm wide and 40 cm deep; the ring garden ditch should be 50 cm wide and 50 cm~60 cm deep.

3. Seedling requirements

Seedlings are required to come from disease-free parent trees, with strong seedlings, robust nursery stock, deep green leaf color, seedling height above 35 cm, and 3 branches; grafted seedlings on sour orange or Jiangxi red tangerine rootstock, with well-developed root systems; free of quarantine pests and diseases, and seedling quality meeting the requirements of GB / T9659.

4. Planting time

As for planting time, it should be in the new shoots before the next sprouting. It is divided into 3 periods: spring planting, autumn planting and winter planting. By month, spring planting is set in February to April, autumn planting from October to November, and winter planting from December to early January.

5. Planting density and method

Planting density and method must be mastered: plant 80 plants (350×230cm), 100 plants (330×200cm) or 110 plants (300×200cm). When planting, the graft union is required to be exposed, the root system spread out, the broken soil compacted, and enough settling water poured, so that new roots can emerge in about 20 days.

2. Gonggan Mandarin Cultivation Management Methods

1. For young tree management: based on the principle of frequent thin application, two fertilizers per flush; apply shoot-promoting fertilizer about 10 days before new buds sprout, mainly quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer. Apply shoot-strengthening fertilizer when the new shoots self-prune. In spring and summer, drain accumulated water in time; in autumn and winter, irrigate in time when drought occurs, and cover to retain moisture; for 3-year-old trees, after the autumn shoots mature, pay attention to water control, inhibit winter buds, and promote flower bud differentiation.

2. For canopy management: in order to form a round-headed canopy with early fruiting and high yield as soon as possible, reasonable shaping and pruning must be carried out so that the canopy develops evenly; to control apical dominance, the methods used are: wire training and erasure control.

3. For soil management: use open space to plant leguminous herbaceous green manure to retain water and increase fertility and prevent soil erosion. Weeding and mulching, autumn intertillage to retain water, remove weeds within the tree disk, and mulch the tree disk in early summer and before early autumn; starting from the 3rd year after planting, begin winter earthing up. Hilly and mountainous orchards should complete comprehensive deep plowing and soil improvement within five years after planting. Carry out this every year in late autumn when there is plenty of grass material, or in November—March combined with root cutting, water control and flower promotion. The method is to expand one hole on each side of the original planting hole, each 1 m long, 0.5 m wide and 0.4 m deep, and bury green manure, soil miscellaneous fertilizer, or decomposed barnyard manure, wheat bran fertilizer, etc. in layers, and apply lime. The rotation direction is expanded once each year, and the holes expand year by year.

Which Month Do Gonggan Mandarins Ripen

Gonggan mandarins generally ripen in January, which is related to climate. As everyone knows, Gonggan mandarins are known as the “King of Chinese Mandarins.” The fruit shape is beautiful, the fruit color golden yellow, the peel thin and the seeds few, the flesh crisp and without residue, clear sweet and fragrant honey-like, high sugar and low acid, and rich in flavor. It combines the double advantages of the beautiful appearance of oranges and the tender flesh and easy peeling of mandarins, which is difficult for other citrus varieties to match, and is praised as the emperor of citrus. The ripening period of Gonggan mandarins and Shatang mandarins is not much different; both generally begin to gradually ripen in late November, while Mashui mandarins ripen later, generally beginning to ripen in mid-January. The management among Gonggan mandarins, Shatang mandarins and Mashui mandarins is basically the same, and everyone can give it a try.

After my introduction, how much more do you know about Gonggan mandarins? Now that you know the cultivation methods of Gonggan mandarins and understand Gonggan mandarin cultivation techniques and management methods, friends who are interested in Gonggan mandarins can give it a try. I hope my explanation is helpful to everyone.