How to Grow Ponkan? A Detailed Explanation of the Latest Planting Techniques
Ponkan, also called Mandarin orange, is a fruit that has become very popular in the market in recent years, especially during the Spring Festival, when Ponkan sales can be said to reach their peak. Ponkan's peel is slightly thick, but easy to peel, the fruit flavor is refreshing and sweet, and it stores relatively well. Moreover, it has strong adaptability to the environment, has the widest planting area in subtropical climates, and produces stable, high yields. So today we will mainly learn about Ponkan cultivation techniques. Let's take a look together.
1. Site Selection and Orchard Establishment
The main production areas of Ponkan in China are Zhejiang, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, as well as Jiangxi and Sichuan. Therefore, orchard site selection needs to be based on the conditions of each planting area. In general, the soil is only required to have a deep soil layer, loose texture, rich organic matter, sufficient nutrients, and moderate or slightly acidic soil pH. Next, it is best if the orchard site has a slight slope to facilitate drainage, and of course it should be close to a water source for convenient irrigation. Finally, the transportation near the orchard should be convenient to facilitate Ponkan transport and sales.
2. Planting Techniques
The planting time for Ponkan is generally from September to November each year, as well as February and March each year. When planting, it is generally established at a row spacing of 4 m and a plant spacing of 3 m, and about 50 to 60 plants can usually be planted per mu. Before planting, planting holes should be dug, with a depth and width of 90 cm and 80 cm respectively. After the planting holes are dug, pour about 40 cm of soil fertilizer into the holes, then scatter 10 cm of fine soil into the holes, and finally planting can be carried out. When planting, the seedlings should be held upright, then backfilled with soil, the ground compacted, and sufficient water applied.
3. Water and Fertilizer Management
In order to allow Ponkan to grow healthily and quickly, it is generally advisable to use more organic fertilizer, while also applying inorganic fertilizer and formulated feed as a supplement. When fertilizing, soil application is the main method, combined with foliar feeding. Soil fertilization generally adopts methods such as ring-shaped trenching, band application, hole application, and broadcasting on the soil surface. During the young tree stage, Ponkan should be fertilized frequently and lightly, mainly with nitrogen fertilizer, combined with potassium fertilizer and phosphorus fertilizer, with at least five to six topdressings per year. A mature tree needs four topdressings per year: the sprouting fertilizer is mainly manure and urine water, the fruit-setting fertilizer is mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, the fruit-strengthening fertilizer is the same as the fruit-setting fertilizer, and the fruit-harvesting fertilizer is organic fertilizer. At the same time, watering and drainage should be carried out reasonably according to the different growth stages of the Ponkan tree.
4. Pruning and Shaping
Pruning of Ponkan trees is mainly divided into four stages. First is pruning of young trees, mainly light pruning, retaining the main branches, and when the branches grow to a certain length, lightly cutting them shorter to regulate the growth balance among the main trunks and thin out dense branches. For Ponkan trees in the initial fruiting stage, continue cutting back the main branches at all levels, promote the growth of strong branches, and remove summer shoots. Flower promotion is also carried out through measures such as girdling. Then there is pruning during the full fruiting period, mainly pruning diseased branches, weak branches, dead branches, dense branches, old branches, and so on, to maintain the current yield. Finally, for fruit trees in the declining period, we need to maintain the orchard's yield, so the main branches need to be replaced and branches retained anew.
5. Pest and Disease Control
The most common diseases of Ponkan include foot rot and anthracnose. Foot rot is caused by poor field aeration and can be controlled with carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl. Anthracnose, on the other hand, is caused by excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer, excessive field moisture, and rising temperatures, and can be treated with mancozeb and chlorothalonil. The main pests include mites, scale insects, aphids, leafminers, longhorn beetles, flower bud maggots, and other pests. Pest problems are very frequent, and we generally use low-toxicity pyrethroid pesticides for poisoning, or use physical principles for trapping and killing.
The above are the cultivation methods for Ponkan. During the planting process, we can also use bagging technology to prevent and control pests and diseases. If you want to learn more detailed content, remember to follow us and leave a message for the editor for consultation.