How to Prune Navel Orange Trees? Pruning Methods and Technical Key Points

Navel orange is a very common fruit, cultivated in various parts of the south, and many people like to eat navel oranges. So what are the pruning methods for navel orange trees?

1. Pruning of young trees

The branches and shoots of navel orange grow relatively evenly, so pruning is generally not needed during the young stage; simply removing buds and controlling shoots is enough. In cultivation, avoid indiscriminate fertilization. Quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer should be applied 15~20 days before shoot emergence, and foliar fertilizer should be sprayed before the leaves turn green to promote greening. Fertilization should be controlled at other times.

2. Pruning of fruiting trees

1. Cultivate three-dimensional fruiting. Based on the characteristics of navel orange branches growing evenly, the main branches having relatively stable insertion angles, and the tree form being good, generally retain the lower and inner canopy branches. The lower part and both inside and outside the canopy bear fruit, so pruning should be light, keeping the tree shape large at the bottom and small at the top, similar to an obtuse cone. If the fruiting branches after harvest are robust, and in the following spring they can still produce good growing shoots and fruiting shoots from the base of the fruit stalk to bear fruit, they should be retained and not pruned. If the fruiting branches are slender and weak, they can be cut off from the base.

2. Branch renewal. This is mainly done by retractive pruning in summer, which can reduce nutrient consumption, resolve the conflict between fruit and shoots competing for nutrients, stimulate autumn shoot growth, and change the proportion of fruiting mother branches. In Pingyuan County, Guangdong Province, summer pruning is generally carried out from after the physiological fruit drop period to before the fruiting mother branches send out shoots. Winter pruning is carried out from after fruit harvest to before spring shoot sprouting, combined with orchard cleaning, cutting off diseased, pest-damaged, and weak branches.

3. Pruning of aging trees

For trees that are severely aging or too densely closed, the main branches can be renewed. Generally, saw them off 70~100 cm from the base of the main branch, and heavily shorten the skeletal branches. For aging trees whose some branches can still bear fruit, perform rotational heavy shortening within 2~3 years, and thin out overly dense and weak side branches, retaining most of the relatively strong growing branches. Within the renewal years, a certain yield can be maintained each year, new shoots grow better, sunscald is less, and high yield is restored relatively quickly. Renewal is carried out before spring buds sprout. After renewal, sun protection measures should be taken, such as wrapping with straw, whitewashing, applying preservatives or grafting wax, and ground mulching. After renewal, a large number of new shoots often sprout, which should be thinned in time, leaving 2-4 evenly distributed new shoots on each main branch to form the new framework of the canopy.

Pruning navel orange trees should be done according to their growth conditions, promptly cutting off diseased leaves and dead leaves to ensure good growth.