Key Points and Management Methods for Red Heart Pomelo Cultivation

Red heart pomelo is a common fruit in our country. Compared with ordinary pomelo, it has better taste and higher nutritional value, so it is very popular among people. At present, it is being planted in most areas. So what are the red heart pomelo cultivation techniques?

1. Site selection and land preparation: choose uncontaminated sloping land with a slope of less than 20° for planting, and the soil should be neutral to slightly acidic. Under dryland conditions, use a powder ridge machine for powder ridge land preparation, with a tillage depth of 50-90cm.

2. Grafting: introduce excellent red heart pomelo scions, select local sour pomelo seedlings as rootstock, and use the single-bud cut grafting method.

3. Planting: dig holes and plant at a spacing of 4.5mX6.2m, 420-500 plants/hectare, with each hole measuring 95cmX95cmX95cm in length, width, and depth. Apply 2-3 loads of farmyard manure, 25-50 kg of decomposed human and livestock manure, 200-300 grams of water-retaining agent, and 0.5-1 kg of compound mixed medicinal fertilizer to each hole. Treat the roots of the cultivated red heart pomelo seedlings with soil attached in rooting water for 30 minutes, then let them dry naturally before use.

4. Seedling treatment: after the graft survives, apply dilute liquid fertilizer or manure water after 15-20 days, once a month. Keep 1 strong new shoot from the scion and prune the rest. Remove sprouts growing from the rootstock at any time. Unbind after 20-30 days to facilitate healing and growth at the graft site. Pay attention to watering and irrigation to keep the soil or nutrient mud moist. When the lignified part of the scion new shoot stem is about 15 cm long, it can be taken out of the nursery for planting.

5. Field management techniques:

(1) Fertilizer and water management: red-fleshed honey pomelo has a large tree shape and relatively high flower and fruit yields, so its nutrient demand is relatively large. Especially after red-fleshed honey pomelo enters the fruiting stage, vegetative and reproductive growth proceed together, and more than five topdressings are needed throughout the fruiting stage. For example, the first time is in mid-March, mainly with compound fertilizer and urea, in order to promote new shoot growth and increase the flowering rate. Then in mid-May during the early fruiting stage, apply fruit-strengthening fertilizer, mainly farmyard manure. Everyone should control the application of water and fertilizer according to the age of the fruit tree, fruit yield, soil, and other conditions, to ensure that the water and fertilizer needs of red-fleshed honey pomelo are met.

(2) Pest and disease control: the prevention and control of pests and diseases in red-fleshed honey pomelo is very important. Pests and diseases can harm all organs of the red-fleshed honey pomelo tree. This seriously affects the flowering and fruiting rate of the pomelo tree, leads to low planting benefits, and causes reduced yield or even total crop loss. The common pests and diseases of red-fleshed honey pomelo are similar to those of ordinary white pomelo and other citrus fruit trees, and prevention should be the main approach. Disinfect the orchard regularly, strengthen orchard management, and observe the orchard frequently so that pests and diseases can be discovered and treated early. Promote the growth of red-fleshed honey pomelo, strengthen its vigor, improve the stress resistance and immunity of the tree, and reduce the incidence of pests and diseases.

(3) Pruning: pruning is a problem that many people ignore during the growth process of pomelo trees. In fact, the growth of pomelo requires sufficient light, otherwise it is difficult for the pomelo to grow large, and it is also difficult for sugar to accumulate. Pruning young trees is to promote the growth of the main trunk and branches, while pruning mature trees is to increase yield and improve quality. The pruning principle in both cases is to prune old branches, dead branches, diseased branches, insect-damaged branches, weak branches, and dense branches, while retaining strong and vigorous branches.

Overall, red heart pomelo is easy to plant and the techniques are easy to master. As long as you choose the land well, master the grafting technique, and carry out good later-stage management, it is enough.