Causes of Citrus Leaf Drop in Winter and Preventive Measures
"Lush leaves in winter, abundant fruit in autumn." To achieve high yield and quality in citrus, you must first ensure that a large number of leaves remain on the tree through the winter. The main causes of winter leaf drop are as follows: 1. Applying too much nitrogen fertilizer, or excessive nitrogen application, shortens the lifespan of old leaves and causes them to drop prematurely. 2. Applying chemical fertilizer dry before and after fruit harvest,...
"Lush leaves in winter, abundant fruit in autumn." To achieve high yield and quality in citrus, you must first ensure that a large number of leaves remain on the tree through the winter. The main causes of winter leaf drop are as follows:
1. Applying too much nitrogen fertilizer, or excessive nitrogen application, shortens the lifespan of old leaves and causes them to drop prematurely.
2. Applying chemical fertilizer dry before and after fruit harvest, or using insufficient water, resulting in too high a fertilizer concentration that damages roots and causes leaf drop.
3. When clearing the orchard after fruit harvest, using pesticide at too high a concentration, causing leaf drop due to phytotoxicity.
4. Damage from mites, scale insects, leafminers, anthracnose, etc. in autumn or early winter, especially mite damage, reduces leaf quality, leading to varying degrees of leaf drop after winter begins.
5. Leaf drop caused by wind damage and freezing damage.
6. Leaf drop caused by drought and waterlogging.
In response to the above causes of citrus leaf drop in winter, corresponding preventive measures can be taken. 1. Pay attention to rational fertilization. Before and after fruit harvest, in addition to applying urea, also apply a three-element compound fertilizer, decomposed residue fertilizer, cake fertilizer, manure and livestock fertilizer, etc. 2. Never apply chemical fertilizer dry, and flexibly adjust the amount of water added according to the weather. 3. Spray once each before and after fruit harvest with 38 percent rare earth at 800 times plus edible rice vinegar at 300 times, which can quickly replenish leaf lifespan and improve drought resistance and freeze resistance. 4. Carry out good pest and disease control in autumn and early winter, and pay attention to pesticide concentration.
In addition, attention should be paid to basic orchard infrastructure, clearing drainage and irrigation ditches, and leveling the orchard soil, so that irrigation is possible in drought and drainage is possible in waterlogging, with no standing water in ditches or on the soil surface after rain.