How to Grow Sugar Tangerines (Citrus reticulata 'Shiyueju'): Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Key Techniques

The soil for planting sugar tangerines should be loose, fertile and well-drained, with a pH value of 5.5-6.5. Choose seedlings about 50 cm tall with a well-developed, intact root system and no pests or diseases, and plant them at the appropriate spacing. After the saplings are planted, carry out fertilization, watering, pruning, and pest and disease control well.

1. Soil: Sugar tangerines have a fairly wide range of soil adaptability, but loose soil with good structure, an organic matter content of 2%-3%, and good drainage is most suitable, with a pH value of 5.5-6.5.

2. Planting: Choose seedlings about 50 cm tall with a well-developed, intact root system and no pests or diseases, and plant the seedlings at a spacing of 10 x 7 chi, 80 plants per mu; 10 x 6 chi, 100 plants per mu; or 9 x 6 chi, 110 plants per mu.

3. Fertilizer and water: For young trees, fertilization is mainly nitrogen fertilizer, combined with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Fertilize 5-6 times during the spring, summer and autumn shoot emergence periods, applying 0.4 jin of ammonium bicarbonate or 0.2 jin of urea per plant each time. For mature trees, apply the sprouting fertilizer, fruit-setting fertilizer, fruit-sizing fertilizer and post-harvest fertilizer well. Irrigate when the soil is dry, and drain when water accumulates.

4. Pruning: For young trees, mainly light pruning, cut back the central leader and the extended shoots of each main branch and secondary main branch, and remove overly dense branches. In the early fruiting stage, cut back the extended shoots at all levels of the framework, and remove summer shoots. In the full fruiting stage, cut back fruiting branch groups, flower-dropping fruiting branch groups and declining branch groups, and remove light-blocking branches, dead branches, and pest- and disease-damaged branches.

5. Pests and diseases: Diseases include anthracnose and foot rot, and pests include mites, scale insects, aphids, leafminers, longhorn beetles, and flower bud maggots, among others. They must be controlled in a timely manner.