How to Grow Murcott Mandarin? Latest Planting Techniques and Method Tutorial

Murcott mandarin is a hybrid of loose-skin mandarin and sweet orange bred in the United States in 1913. In the 1970s, Professor Lin Pu of the Department of Horticulture at National Taiwan University introduced it to northern Taiwan, China for trial planting. Because of its high sugar content, excellent and rich flavor, thin peel, abundant juice, and later ripening than the Ponkan mandarin, its cultivation area increased year by year. In recent years, it has also been introduced and trial-planted in southern Fujian. Now let us take a look at Murcott mandarin planting techniques!

Field Planting Techniques

Choose loose, fertile, well-drained and irrigated sloping land or paddy field with a pH of 5.5-6.5, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun, as the orchard site. Using a planting spacing of 3×2 m between rows and plants, 111 plants/mu, or 2.5×2 m between rows and plants, 133 plants/mu, dig pits or trenches 80 cm wide and 60 cm deep. Place 50 kg of composted organic fertilizer and 1 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer in each pit, mix 30-50 kg of green manure (weeds) evenly with the soil and return it to the pit, with the returned soil about 30 cm above the ground. Plant about 15 days after the Beginning of Spring, before spring bud break. At this time the roots have already begun activity, so the survival rate is relatively high. In areas with good irrigation, autumn planting is also possible. About one month after planting, when the seedlings have basically survived, apply some dilute manure water plus 0.2-0.5% urea or compound fertilizer. Afterward, before each new shoot sprouting and before the shoots mature, apply one fertilizer each time to promote shoots and strengthen shoots, mainly with quick-acting fertilizers.

Canopy Training

Murcott mandarin has a very strong shoot-sprouting ability and often grows in clusters. If not controlled, it will inevitably cause insufficient nutrient supply to the tree, poor shoot growth and development, short, weak, shaded shoots that are prone to pests and diseases. Therefore, thinning shoots and shaping, and cultivating a canopy with good ventilation and light transmission and a reasonable shoot distribution, are the keys to a stable tree vigor and high quality and high yield. Generally, for strong shoots, keep only 3-4; for ordinary shoots, keep 2-3 strong buds in different directions. In the Guilin area, 3 flushes of shoots are released each year in spring, summer, and autumn; in areas south of Liuzhou, 3-5 flushes can be released, gradually forming a compact and stable canopy.

Fertilizer and Water Management

Murcott mandarin has many flowers, sets fruit easily, yields abundantly, and has high soluble solids content, so fertilizer and water management are very important. We summarize this part of the management in three sentences: “Nitrogen in spring, potassium in summer, compound fertilizer in autumn; drench with bran water during the expansion period; apply heavily after harvest to promote recovery.” “Spring nitrogen” means after the Beginning of Spring, before buds sprout and when the root system begins activity, mainly apply nitrogen fertilizer to promote shoot and flower growth. Specifically, scatter 25 kg of composted organic fertilizer plus 0.5 kg of urea under the canopy of each tree, gently loosen the soil, and turn the fertilizer under the surface soil. “Summer potassium” means in early May, before physiological fruit drop, mainly apply potassium fertilizer to stabilize the fruit. Spray 0.3% monopotassium phosphate on the leaves and apply 0.2 kg of potassium chloride per tree to the soil, which can reduce fruit drop. “Autumn compound” means before releasing autumn shoots in mid-July, apply 0.2 kg of compound fertilizer per tree. “Bran water drenching” means from July to early December, drench once every half month with light bran water plus 0.1%-0.2% urea, about 25 kg per tree. “Heavy application after harvest” means after the fruit is harvested, along the drip line of 1/4 of the canopy, dig a small trench 40 cm wide and 60 cm deep, and apply 20-30 kg of fresh grass, 30 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer plus 1 kg of superphosphate per tree.