Detailed Guide to Pomelo Cultivation Techniques: Key Points of Planting and Management Methods
Pomelo is one of the common fruits in autumn and winter. It is very rich in nutrients and also has beauty and skin-care benefits, making it a fruit that many people like. Its taste is moderately sweet and sour, and most people can accept it. To grow excellent, high-yielding pomelos, cultivation techniques are a key step.
Pomelo Cultivation Techniques
1. Planting density. Pomelos grow vigorously and have large canopies. Grafted trees enter full fruiting 6-7 years after planting, so the density of block planting should not be too high. On slopes above 20 degrees, plant 45 trees per mu; on slopes of 10-20 degrees, plant 40 trees per mu; on gentle slopes below 10 degrees, plant about 35 trees per mu. Pomelo trees like warmth and moisture and need fertilizer and water. They require deep, fertile soil. Special attention should be paid to planting pomelo trees in soil that is relatively fertile and has sufficient moisture, or in places with good water source conditions.
2. Planting time. Generally, spring and autumn rainy seasons are suitable, from late February to late April in spring and from mid-September to mid-October in autumn. If conditions allow, planting can also be done in other seasons, but it is not suitable to plant under low-temperature conditions in late winter or under summer drought conditions.
3. Planting density. Spacing is 4x4 m or 4x5 m, generally about 40 trees per mu. Dwarfing and close planting are also possible, with 50-60 trees per mu.
4. Planting method: Before planting, dig a large pit 1 m square, apply a large amount of organic fertilizer and an appropriate amount of phosphate fertilizer as base fertilizer, and backfill soil to 20-30 cm above the ground. When planting, gently place the seedling into the hole, plant it with loose, crumbled soil, press the fine soil around the root ball firmly by hand, and expose the graft union above the ground. After planting, shape the planting basin to 20 cm above the ground and water thoroughly to settle the roots.
Training and Pruning of Young Trees
After the seedlings are planted, cut them back to establish the trunk at 30-40 cm above the graft union. After shoots emerge, select and keep 3-4 new shoots that grow strongly, are evenly distributed around the tree, and have a certain spacing from each other as main branches, and remove the rest. When the top of each main branch continues to extend to about 40 cm, pinch and top it in time. On each main branch, select and keep 2-3 strong branches in appropriate positions as secondary main branches. Appropriate spacing should be maintained between the trunk and secondary main branches so that the side branches that develop can receive sufficient light. Frequently remove water sprouts on the trunk and main branches that cross, overlap, or disrupt the tree shape, as well as improperly positioned branches and buds.
Irrigation and Drainage
Pomelo trees remain evergreen year-round, have a large annual shoot growth volume, a long fruiting period, large leaves, and large fruits, so they have high water requirements. When cultivating pomelo trees, irrigation must be used to ensure their water requirements. Irrigation should be carried out according to the water needs of pomelo trees at each phenological stage and the drought conditions at the time. Overall, the entire annual growth and development process requires an appropriate amount of water, and it is most sensitive especially during spring bud break and flowering and during the peak fruit growth period. Hejiang has spring drought and summer drought, and irrigation must be carried out at these times.
In low-lying areas with a high groundwater table or during the rainy season, pay attention to drainage. Before the rainy season arrives or during heavy rain periods, check the drainage system of the pomelo orchard at any time, repair and dredge it promptly, and ensure drainage is unobstructed.
Pomelo Disease Control
The main diseases of pomelo include huanglongbing, citrus canker, scab, and anthracnose. Their control methods are the same as those for citrus and can be applied by reference. Citrus canker is relatively serious in its harm to pomelo. Citrus canker is caused by bacteria and mainly infects new shoots, tender leaves, and young fruits, forming nearly round, suberized, rough-surfaced, yellowish-brown canker spots 0.3-0.5 cm in diameter, causing leaf drop and fruit drop, affecting growth and yield, and reducing the external appearance and internal quality of the fruit. Control methods focus on prevention, integrated management, strict quarantine systems, establishment of disease-free mother plant gardens, scion orchards, and seedling bases, prevention of diseased seedlings leaving the nursery, and application of comprehensive control measures in affected orchards.
1. Thoroughly clean the orchard. After harvest, prune diseased branches and diseased leaves, clear away diseased fruits and fallen fruits, and burn them on site. After cleaning the orchard, spray lime sulfur mixture comprehensively to eliminate overwintering sources of disease.
2. During each shoot emergence period, control insect pests that transmit disease sources in time, such as citrus leafminer and citrus flea beetle, etc.
3. After each new shoot emerges and after flowers fade, spray once every 10, 30, and 50 days. Optional agents include Bordeaux mixture at 1:2:100 dilution, agricultural streptomycin at 600-1000 units per mL plus 1% ethanol solution, 50% zineb water dispersible powder at 500-800 times dilution, 50% thiophanate-methyl powder at 500-800 times dilution, etc.
Actually, pomelo cultivation techniques are still relatively simple. The main thing is that careful cultivation is needed to grow pomelos with good taste that people like. Although pomelos have high use value, they are a cooling fruit, so people with abdominal pain and diarrhea should still best avoid eating them!