Cultivation Techniques and Methods for Pomelo (Shaddock) Trees

The pomelo tree is also known as “shaddock” and belongs to the Rutaceae family, Citrus genus. Its fruit, the pomelo, has a delicate fragrance and a sweet-and-sour taste, offers beauty-enhancing and skin-nourishing benefits, and is rich in nutritional value, making it a favorite among middle-aged and elderly people. So, what cultivation techniques are there for pomelo trees? What points should be noted? Let's take a look together.

I. Planting Time

Pomelo trees can be planted in spring and autumn, with autumn being the best, as pomelos planted in autumn can overwinter smoothly. Autumn planting is best from mid-September to mid-October, while spring planting is generally done after the Beginning of Spring.

II. Cultivation Techniques

1. Field Planting

① Density: Pomelo tree roots are thick and grow vigorously. The average planting density is about 40 trees per mu. The spacing between plants is 4x4 m or 4x5 m. If the plants are dwarfed, the density can be increased appropriately. In addition, the site chosen for field planting of pomelo trees requires deep, fertile soil and abundant water sources.

② Method: When field planting, dig a large pit of 1x1 m, apply a sufficient amount of phosphate fertilizer and base fertilizer, fill with soil to a point 20 cm from the ground, place the pomelo sapling into the pit, press the soil at the root collar firmly with your hands, and fill the pit with more soil. Note that after field planting, the planting basin needs to be raised about 20 cm above the ground, and then water thoroughly.

2. Cultivation

① Deep plowing to improve the soil

Deep plow to improve the soil, mature the soil, and gradually expand. Dig ring-shaped trenches around the outer perimeter of the young trees, deep plow year by year, and apply fertilizer in appropriate amounts to replenish soil fertility.

② Inter-row cultivation and hilling

Carry out inter-row cultivation more than 3 times per year, combined with weeding and fertilizing. In places with a smaller slope, hill up the soil once every 3 years. In places with a large slope where soil fertility is easily lost, hill up the soil once every other year to increase the fruiting rate.

3. Fertilizing

When pomelo saplings have just been field planted, they should be fertilized frequently, in small amounts each time, preferably 5-6 times a year. Pomelo trees like nitrogen fertilizer and phosphorus-potassium fertilizer; human and livestock manure can also be used for fertilizing, with an appropriate amount of urea added.

4. Irrigation

The pomelo tree is an evergreen plant. Because its leaves are large and its fruit is large, it consumes a lot of water and has high water requirements. During the sprouting stage, flowering stage, and fruiting stage, pomelo trees all need large amounts of irrigation to replenish water. At the same time, the soil must not become waterlogged, and drainage requirements are high, so accumulated water needs to be drained promptly during the rainy season.

5. Pruning Branches and Leaves

According to the growth characteristics of the pomelo tree, the trunk height should preferably be about half a meter, with main branches spaced about 30 cm apart, cultivating 5-6 main branches in total. Pruning pomelo trees should follow the principle of “heavy at the top, light on all sides, heavy on the outer parts, light on the inner parts.” That is, where branches and leaves are dense around the crown, prune to thin them out; heavily prune the top branches and lightly prune the inner branches, so that the interior of the crown has good light, resulting in more fruit and better quality. Generally, the relatively slender leafless branches on 3-4 year old lateral branches inside the crown are excellent fruiting mother branches and must be retained.

III. Points to Note

When most flower buds are the size of a match head, begin flower thinning; when the buds show white, thin out the flower clusters, the tail-end and weak small buds, keeping only the middle 4-5 robust buds. After the second physiological fruit drop, remove deformed fruit and pest-damaged fruit, and retain fruit at a leaf-to-fruit ratio of about 60-70:1.

The above is the pomelo tree cultivation technique summarized for you by Tuliu.com. Did you understand it?