How Many Years Can a Red Heart Pomelo Tree Live? A Detailed Analysis of the Pomelo Tree's Lifespan

Red heart honey pomelo, also known as red flesh honey pomelo, red heart pomelo, red flesh pomelo, blood pomelo. It is a superior variant single plant with red fruit juice sacs discovered in 1998 by the Fruit Tree Research Institute of the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Lin Jinshan's Guanxi honey pomelo orchard in Cuoqiu Village, Xiaoxi Town, Pinghe County. So how many years can a red heart pomelo tree live?

I. How many years can a red heart pomelo tree live

If not grafted, it can live more than 200 years; if grafted, only fifty or sixty years. When large seedlings are used for planting, flowers can be seen in the second year, and fruit can be borne in the third year, with an average yield of about 15 kg per tree; in the fourth year the yield per tree is about 30, and in the fifth year it reaches about 55, with the peak production period yielding 4000-5000 kg per mu.

II. Key Points of Red Heart Pomelo Tree Cultivation Techniques

1. Establishment of the pomelo orchard: Choose a wind-sheltered, sunny area with abundant water sources and deep, fertile sandy loam soil to establish the orchard.

2. Seedling selection: Select one-year-old grafted seedlings with well-developed root systems and robust growth for planting. Under better management conditions, the seedlings will quickly resume growth and the canopy will form relatively quickly.

3. Hole expansion and soil improvement: An important measure for improving soil conditions and the foundation for early fruiting, high quality, and high yield. Hole expansion and soil improvement generally begin in the second year after planting, and the best results are achieved when completed in the third year. The specific method is to dig trenches 60-70 cm deep and 40-50 cm wide on both sides in a symmetrical pattern below the canopy drip line, fill them with one load each of green manure and burned soil, 1.5 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer, an appropriate amount of lime and topsoil, applying them in layers, and compacting them to improve the soil.

4. Reasonable pruning: Use branch thinning, pruning more of the outer branches of the canopy and less of the inner branches. ① Pruning time: Young pomelo trees are generally pruned twice, namely summer pruning and winter pruning; fruiting pomelo trees are generally pruned three times (namely spring pruning, summer pruning and winter pruning). Spring pruning is in February-March, summer pruning is in May-July, and winter pruning is half a month after fruit harvest, namely October-November. ② Pruning method: Do not use the “one-size-fits-all” method. Focus on thinning the outer branches. For denser canopies, the “skylight opening” pruning method can be used. This method can effectively control the canopy, promote the sprouting of inner branches, and will not cause reduced yield due to heavy pruning.

5. Fertilization method: Use ring-shaped trench application. The number of fertilizer applications should follow the requirements of “apply base fertilizer in autumn, apply sprout-promoting fertilizer cautiously, and apply fruit-preserving and fruit-strengthening fertilizer in combination” for a total of 3-4 fertilizer applications throughout the year. Mainly use decomposed organic fertilizer, supplemented by inorganic fertilizer, and apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer.

6. Reasonable fruit thinning: First thin out poorly developed deformed fruit, small fruit, and pest- and disease-damaged fruit. The fruit load is generally best at a leaf-to-fruit ratio of (160-200):1.