Key Points of Mandarin Orange Tree Cultivation Techniques and a Detailed Guide to Management Methods

The mandarin orange tree is evergreen through all four seasons, with dense branches and leaves and a neat tree form. In spring the whole tree is covered with fragrant blossoms, and in autumn and winter it hangs heavy with yellow fruit, the intermingling of yellow and green being extremely beautiful. So what are the cultivation techniques for mandarin orange trees? Let's take a look together.

1. Orchard

The soil is required to have a deep soil layer (60 cm) and be fertile; the soil pH value should be 5.5-7.0; the orchard site should have a slope of less than 25 degrees. When planning the site, there should be the necessary roads, drainage and irrigation, water storage and ancillary building facilities. In the specific planning, as far as possible make it concentrated in contiguous plots, and build the orchard in places with good transport and water source conditions.

2. Mandarin Orange Tree Cultivation

Planting is generally done in September-November after the autumn shoots have matured, or in February-March before the spring shoots sprout. Plant at a density of 3 m between plants × 4 m between rows, planting 55-60 plants per mu. Run a line to set the spacing, dig the planting holes, with the holes 80 cm deep and 80 cm wide, then press in green manure to a depth of 50 cm, and backfill soil to a height of 40 cm for planting; for field ridging cultivation: make beds with 8-meter strips with ditches (ditch width 60-80 cm, depth 40-60 cm), and form 2 ridges per bed (ridge width 1.5 m, ridge center spacing 4 m, ridge height 20-30 cm). When planting, after moderately pruning the seedling's root system, place it in the center of the planting hole, spread out the roots, hold it upright, and while filling with soil gently lift the seedling upward and firm the soil, so that the roots are in close contact with the soil. Water thoroughly to settle the roots, make a 1 m tree basin around the sapling, and cover it with rice husks.

3. Fertilizer and Water Management

1. Fertilization: The mandarin orange tree's needs for various nutrient elements should be fully met, and it is advocated to apply more organic fertilizer and to rationally apply inorganic fertilizer and formula fertilizer. Fertilization should also be guided by leaf analysis results, orchard soil analysis results, and phenological periods. Soil fertilization is the main method, combined with foliar fertilization. Methods such as ring-shaped trench application, strip trench application, hole application and broadcasting fertilizer on the soil surface are used. For young trees, fertilization should be frequent and light, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, combined with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, applying fertilizer 5-6 times during the sprouting periods of spring, summer and autumn shoots, in March, May, June, July, September and December, each time applying 0.4 jin of ammonium bicarbonate or 0.2 jin of urea per plant. For 1-3 year old young trees, apply 100-400 g of pure nitrogen per plant per year, and the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is preferably 1.0:(0.4-0.5):1.0. For mature trees, apply four good rounds of fertilizer, namely the sprouting fertilizer, the fruit-setting fertilizer, the fruit-swelling fertilizer and the fruit-picking fertilizer. The application rates are generally 2-3 jin of chemical fertilizer plus one load of manure water for the sprouting fertilizer; 1-2 jin of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer + 1 jin of chemical fertilizer for the fruit-setting fertilizer; 1-2 jin of chemical fertilizer + 1-2 jin of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer for the fruit-swelling fertilizer; and for the fruit-picking fertilizer (base fertilizer), mainly organic fertilizer, applying 50-100 jin of organic fertilizer + 1-2 jin of chemical fertilizer per plant.

2. Watering: Irrigate when the soil is dry, and drain when there is standing water. Training and pruning 1. Principles. Adapt to local conditions, prune according to the tree, promote and suppress appropriately, provide ventilation and light penetration, and achieve three-dimensional fruiting.

3. Training: Training (natural open-center form). Trunk height 20-40 cm, main branches (3-4 branches) distributed on the trunk in a well-arranged manner, the branching angle of the trunk 30°-50°, and 2-3 secondary main branches retained on each main branch. Generally after the third main branch has formed, the central-leader-like trunk is cut off and twisted to one side to serve as a fruiting branch group.

4. Pruning: Mainly light pruning. After selecting the central-leader-like extension branch and the extension branches of each main branch and secondary main branch, carry out moderate or even heavy heading back on them, and regulate the balance of growth among the main branches by the degree of heading back and the direction of the bud at the cut. Apart from appropriately thinning out overly dense branch groups, the inner canopy branches and the weaker shoots in the middle and lower parts of the canopy should generally be retained. In the early fruiting period, continue to select and head back the extension branches at all levels of the framework, remove summer shoots, and promote the growth of vigorous autumn shoots. In autumn, for vigorously growing trees, adopt measures such as girdling, root cutting and water control to promote flowering. In the full fruiting period, promptly retract fruiting branch groups, flower-dropping fruiting branch groups and declining branch groups, and cut out light-blocking branches, dead branches and diseased and pest-infested branches.

4. Diseases and Pests

Common diseases and pests of mandarin orange trees include huanglongbing (citrus greening disease), canker, anthracnose, scab and red spider mite, rust mite, citrus leafminer, scale insects, aphids and other diseases and pests. Prevention and control of diseases and pests should be carried out according to the actual situation.

Growing mandarin orange trees is relatively simple, but management should be carried out according to the growth situation. I hope the above content can help you understand the cultivation of mandarin orange trees.