Detailed Explanation of Kumquat Tree Cultivation Techniques and Growing Environment

Variety Classification of Kumquat

Kumquats are generally divided into two types: common kumquat and smooth-skinned kumquat. Let's first take a look at how these two kumquats differ!

1. Kumquat

Kumquat (including names such as Huoyan, Jin, Mi, Xiu, Jingan, Jindan, Jinzao, etc.) belongs to the Rutaceae family, is a thorny evergreen shrub, with a tree height of more than 1 m, up to 4 m at the highest. The crown diameter is about more than 2 m. The branches are round, slightly angular, with short internodes, about 1 cm per 9 nodes. The thorns are 3.2-3.8 cm long, with sharp tips, yellow, growing horizontally, emerging from below the leaves. The leaves are alternate and fairly densely arranged. The new leaf tips have slight blunt serrations, the petioles are short and have narrow wings. The flowers are white, 5-petaled, with a narrow small calyx; the flowering period is from June to September. The first flowering is around Grain in Ear; the second flowering is from Summer Solstice to Grain Full; the third flowering is at Minor Heat and Major Heat; the fourth and fifth flowering are around the Beginning of Autumn. Flowering does not end until after the fruit is set. The orange fruit generally begins to mature in mid-October, entering the harvest period.

The fruit is elliptical and round, with a fruit diameter of 2.49—3.2 cm and a fruit height (length) of 2.73——3.35 cm. The middle of the fruit is plump, tapering toward both ends, the fruit top is smooth, the stem end is slightly concave, with slight groove lines, the stylar point is quite small, and at maturity it is glossy and shiny. The fruit is yellow-green or golden yellow, the fruit cross-section has a fragrant aroma, and the peel thickness is 4-5 mm. The oil cells are light orange. The peel and flesh are difficult to separate, the flesh is juicy, and it is sweet and sour and delicious. Each fruit contains 5-8 seeds, and each kumquat tree produces 8-10 kg of fruit.

① Seedling grown from seed: begins to flower and bear fruit in 5-6 years, can be harvested for 40-50 years, and long-lived ones can be harvested for 100 years.

② Grafted seedling: begins to flower and bear fruit in 3-5 years, and bears fruit earlier than seedling-grown plants. Earlier income. Layered seedlings are basically similar to grafted seedlings.

2. Smooth-skinned kumquat

Smooth-skinned kumquat is a newly developed superior variety. The smooth-skinned kumquat tree has an upright posture, tree height 1.5—2 m, crown diameter of several meters, trunk circumference 40 cm, main trunk height 1.8 m, smooth and thornless, grayish brown, and the vegetative branches are slender, soft, slightly drooping, and smooth. The leaves are whorled, elliptical-lanceolate, 6.3—6.5 cm long, 2—3.1 cm wide, petiole 1.1 cm long, the leaf is entire green, the apex is bluntly pointed, the leaf curls inward like a boat shape, the basal 1/3 of the leaf is wavy and undulating, the leaf surface is dark green, the leaf back is light green, the main vein is raised, and the lateral and reticulate veins are obvious. The flowers are white, 3—6 petals, mostly 5 petals, spoon-shaped, 1.12 cm long, 0.42 cm wide, with the apex oil cells not obvious and smooth. The pedicel is 0.53 cm long, and when open the petals reverse outward to a large degree. The flowering period is 3—5 days earlier than that of common kumquat, opening 3—4 times from June to August.

The fruit resembles a round sphere or elliptical shape, and the peel oil cells are sparse, fine, and smooth. The single fruit is large and heavy, with the largest being 23.6 grams, the flesh is firm, yellow-white, the soluble solids content is more than 20%, and the fruit is sweet and crisp, without sour or spicy taste. The skin is thin but tough, and it stores better than common kumquat. The maturity period is from November to January of the following year.

Kumquat Planting Environment Requirements

1. Growth habits

The kumquat tree is a neutral tree species. During the seedling stage and young forest stage it is neutral and slightly shade-loving, and after the forest is established it is neutral and slightly sun-loving. It likes a warm and humid climate, likes fertilizer, fears waterlogging, and is averse to drought. If the light is too strong, sunscald is likely to occur under direct exposure. When planting in mountainous areas, it is best to choose north-facing, northeast-facing, or southeast-facing sites. Itadapts to a wide range of soil pH, and slightly acidic soil with 5.5—6.5 is most suitable. It has strong cold resistance. It grows fast. A two-year-old seedling-grown plant reaches 60-70 cm tall.

① Shoot growth: spring shoots sprout from late April to early May, taking 25—28 days; summer shoots sprout in late June and stop in mid-July, taking 25 days—28 days. Autumn shoots sprout in mid-August, stop in mid- and late September, taking 30 days.

② Flowering period: the first flowering is in mid- to late June; the second flowering is in mid- to late July; the third flowering period is in mid- to late August; the fourth flowering is from early September to October; from flowering to fruit maturity takes about 150—170 days.

2. Soil environment for growth

Kumquat is suitable for planting in mountainous areas. Hilly, low-mountain, and mid-mountain zones at an altitude of 200-500 m are especially good in river valley areas, because these areas are surrounded by high mountains and ridges, blocking the invasion of cold currents, and can prevent low temperatures and wind damage. The kumquat tree is a mycorrhizal plant, and its root system growth has the characteristics of liking air, fertilizer, and moisture. Therefore, the land for planting kumquat groves should preferably be black sandy soil or yellow sandy soil with strong water and fertilizer retention capacity, relatively high natural fertility, and a fairly deep soil layer, so as to promote the development and growth of the kumquat grove's mycorrhizae.

3. Climatic conditions required for kumquat growth

① Temperature: The kumquat grove requires a mild climate, with an average annual temperature of 19°C. The hottest month is July, with a monthly average temperature of 27.9°C; the coldest month is January, with a monthly average temperature of 8.5°C. In the past 30 years, the county's extreme maximum temperature was 38.6°C (January 1971), and the extreme minimum temperature was minus 5.5°C (January 1963). The average frost-free period is 290 days. No kumquat groves have been found to suffer damage from high temperatures or freezing.

② Rainfall: The average annual total rainfall is 1942.5 cm. June rainfall accounts for nearly 20% of the annual rainfall, while December or January rainfall accounts for only 2.5—2.6% of the annual rainfall. No phenomenon of kumquat fruit crop failure caused by too little rainfall has been found.

③ Humidity: When air humidity is too high, the kumquat fruit contains more water and the skin is fine and tender. Conversely, if the air is too dry, the development of the kumquat fruit will be poor, resulting in small fruit, rough skin, bland flesh, and inferior quality. During the flowering and fruiting period of kumquat, humidity above 80% is relatively suitable.

④ Sunshine hours: The total annual sunshine hours are 1416.3 hours, accounting for 32% of the local possible sunshine hours. There are more sunshine hours in summer and autumn and fewer in winter and spring: 502.2 hours in summer, 47.4 hours in autumn, 214.3 hours in winter, and 228.4 hours in spring. For high yield and good quality of kumquat, it is better to have relatively more sunshine in spring and autumn and less intense direct sunlight in summer.

Kumquat Cultivation Techniques

1. Sowing and seedling raising

① Seed selection and seed treatment: First select fruits from superior individual plants, extract the seeds during processing, promptly put them into clean water to wash off the mucilage, remove the plump-less seeds, keep the plump seeds, dry them in the shade, and then sow. If not sowing immediately, they can be stored with 3 to 4 parts fine sand. Store in layered piles, keep them in a place with a certain temperature that is dry and ventilated, and also prevent excessive dryness or excessive moisture that would cause the seeds to lose germination capacity.

② Selection of nursery land: Choose valley land or hilly slope land facing away from the wind and toward shade as the nursery site. It is required that the fertile soil layer be deep, the soil loose, and sandy soil with a relatively good granular structure is best. Any place with shallow, poor soil and heavy texture is not suitable as nursery land. Attention should also be paid to convenient transportation so as to transport seedlings. For the preparation of the nursery land, it must be winter-plowed once before sowing, and then plowed again in early spring of the following year, with a depth of more than one chi, and the soil surface should be raked level and broken up. According to the water level, make high beds or low beds.

③ Timely sowing: Spring sowing in February and March is most suitable, and winter sowing can also be done in November. The sowing rate per mu is 10 to 15 kg. For the sowing method, open furrows on the bed surface for drilling. Apply 15 to 20 loads of human and livestock manure water, 30 to 40 loads of barnyard manure, and 15 to 25 kg of superphosphate or calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer. The row spacing is 3 cun, and the seed spacing is 1.5 to 2 cun. Then cover with plant ash or fine sandy soil three fen thick. Lay a layer of rice straw or weeds on the bed surface for water retention and drought prevention. When the seedlings have 2 to 4 true leaves, they should be transplanted for temporary planting, with a plant and row spacing of 5×3 cun. If temporary planting is not done, the plant and row spacing should be widened.

④ Seedling management: Before the seedlings emerge, water must be applied frequently to keep the soil moist. If the surface soil is compacted, loosen it with a bamboo stick to facilitate seed germination and emergence. When the seedlings reach two true leaves, apply 5 loads of decomposed manure water mixed with 8 to 5 loads of water per mu for irrigation. Apply dilute manure water to the roots once every half month. Be careful not to let the manure water stick to the leaves. Before fertilizing, loosen the soil and remove weeds, and in dry weather also water. Keep the soil loose and free of weeds, and pay attention to livestock and disease and pest damage. When the seedlings grow to 1.5 chi, pinch off the growing tips once to encourage more branching. All branches on the main trunk above 8 cun should be cut off so as to cultivate a good tree shape.

⑤ Transplanting: It is better to transplant in spring during southerly wind weather. Select seedlings with thick stems, strong growth, straightness, sound root development, no pests or diseases, plant height 1.5 chi, and dark green leaves for transplanting first; the opposite ones should be discarded. Two days before lifting the seedlings, water once to make the soil moist. When lifting, do not injure the main root, and cut off one third of the main root. The planting specification is 5×7 chi. First dig a hole 1 chi deep. When planting, first place topsoil to nourish the roots, then put in new soil and compact it, keeping the seedlings upright. If the soil is dry, water to settle the roots.

⑥ Orchard management: After planting, replant dead seedlings promptly. In the first one or two years, interplant short-stalk crops such as Xianggu, green manure, mung bean, and taro between the rows. Do not interplant tall-stalk crops such as cassava, so as to prevent affecting the growth of kumquat seedlings. After stopping interplanting, deep dig once every 2 years in January and February, with a depth of five or six cun. Every year at the beginning of the dog days, hoe weeds once. Do not pile dead weeds at the tree base, so as to avoid gathering insects. The kumquat tree is upright and has very strong growth vigor, so pruning and top cutting should be done well to control excessive upright growth, let it branch more, and form a luxuriant crown, creating conditions for increasing fruit yield in the future and making fruit picking easier.

2. Selective grafting

Grafted kumquat seedlings have the characteristics of bearing fruit quickly, being short with many branches, having no thorns or few thorns, and being high-yield and high-quality. When grafting, select superior individual plants as scions and graft them onto trifoliate orange rootstock or kumquat rootstock.

3. Weeding and fertilizing

For the care of kumquat groves, it has always been to weed once a year. With the progress of society and the advancement of science and technology, the practice is: first weed and reclaim, then apply 55 kg of urea, 86 kg of calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer, 25 kg of potassium chloride, 173 kg of tung bran, and 49 kg of lime per mu. With continuous fertilization for 4 years, the yield increase benefit was extremely significant. The average fruit yield per mu in the first year was 524 kg, an increase of 303 kg over no fertilization, an increase of 137.7%; in the second year it increased to 628 kg, an increase of 518.2%; in the third year it increased to 579 kg, an increase of 227.8%; in the fourth year it increased to 1279 kg, an increase of 352.5%.

4. Renewal of old trees

After thirty or forty years, kumquat trees have already aged, with extremely low yield and poor quality. Some are attacked by longhorn beetles, with hollow main trunks, and the conducting tissues are damaged, causing branches to turn yellow, dry up, and die. For these, old tree renewal should be carried out. Respectively in March, April, and May, at 4 cun above the ground, saw off the main trunk of the old kumquat tree, loosen the base, and apply 5 kg of compound fertilizer. Sprouting begins 38 days after sawing. By September 30, after about 4 months, the average sprout height was 96.3 cm.

Pests and Diseases and Their Control

(1) Control of diseases

According to a general survey, kumquat has a total of 8 diseases, namely fruit cracking disease, scab, anthracnose, felt disease, sooty mold, lichen and moss disease, powdery mildew, and canker. There are a total of 23 insect pests, namely red spider mite, inchworm, brown longhorn beetle, star longhorn beetle, leaf miner, tea bagworm, small bagworm, citrus stink bug, snail, sugar scale insect, brown round scale, pear round scale, brown soft scale, mealybug, branch borer, swallowtail butterfly, arrowhead scale, red wax scale, slug moth, yellow spider mite, citrus leaf beetle, long-snout stink bug, green stink bug, gall midge, etc. The gall midge is a monophagous pest, and gall midge damage in kumquat groves is very severe. This insect belongs to the Diptera order. The adult body length is 3 to 4 mm. The wingspan is 6-8 mm. It is light red; the larva is about 2 mm long, milky white, spindle-shaped or maggot-like C-shaped. Its larvae specifically damage leaf buds and flower buds. After being damaged, the kumquat tree cannot grow shoots or produce flowers, seriously affecting the tree's development, growth, flowering, and fruiting. In particular, adult trees suffer more serious damage than young trees, and trees in gullies suffer more serious damage than trees on slopes. The general damage rate is about 7%, and in severe cases it reaches more than 14%.

1. Control of canker

① It damages leaves, branch tips, and fruit, causing leaf drop and fruit drop. At first, small yellow water-soaked spots appear on the back of the leaves, and later they gradually expand into a nearly round shape, with both sides raised, rough and lignified, with a crack in the center, and finally grayish brown, forming a canker-like appearance, surrounded by a yellow halo. In severe cases, it causes defoliation. The canker pathogen spreads with wind and rain, and occurs most severely at 20 to 30°C and in humid climates.

② Control measures

a. Fertilize reasonably. Prevent new leaves from growing too quickly and enhance disease resistance.

b. Chemical control

First, use 0.25 kg of copper sulfate and 0.5 kg of quicklime, mixed with 50 kg of water to make Bordeaux mixture for spraying.

Second, spray with 600 times amobam.

Third, spray with 600 times thiophanate-methyl (that is, put 20 mL of pesticide in 12.5 kg of water for spraying).

Fourth, spray with agricultural streptomycin 800,000 units (that is, one small bag mixed with about 100 kg of water).

2. Control of anthracnose

① Damage symptoms: Anthracnose damages leaves, branch tips, and fruit. In severe cases, it causes branch tips to dry up and fruit drop. When seedlings are affected, it causes branch and trunk defoliation, and in severe cases the whole plant dries up. This disease occurs commonly in kumquat bases.

② Control measures

a. Strengthen cultivation management, enhance tree vigor, apply more organic fertilizer and potassium fertilizer, do a good job of loosening soil and weeding in the kumquat orchard, and maintain moderate moisture and dryness.

b. Remove diseased leaves, diseased branches, etc.

c. Spray with 5% amobam at 500 to 800 times, or thiophanate-methyl at 600 times. Spray once at intervals of about 10 days, using the pesticide twice continuously.

(2) Control of insect pests

1. Control of longhorn beetles

① Manually capture adults. In March, when adults fly out to lay eggs (star longhorn beetles come out at noon to mate and lay eggs, and come out every evening to mate and lay eggs), capture them.

② Insert an iron wire deep into the hole to remove frass, soak cotton in raw tung oil, add a little dichlorvos or trichlorfon, plug it into the insect hole, and seal the hole with oil to kill the larvae.

③ Use a whitewash agent (made by mixing 7.5 kg of quicklime, 0.75 kg of salt, 0.75 kg of sulfur powder, 0.075 kg of lard, and 18 kg of water) and apply it before the adult longhorn beetles fly out to lay eggs in March. Each application can last for two months. It is best to apply once each in March, May, and July. If larvae have already bored into the trunk, remove them before applying. In addition to preventing longhorn beetle egg laying, the whitewash agent can also control lichens, moss, and some scale insects.

2. Control of inchworms

After the larvae pupate, manually dig for pupae around the trunk and spray 90% trichlorfon at 800 times or dichlorvos at 1000 times to kill young larvae.

3. Control of leaf miners

Spray with 90% trichlorfon at 1000 times or deltamethrin (Decis) at 5000 times solution.

4. Control of red spider mites

① Use lime-sulfur mixture, at 0.3 to 0.5 degrees Baume in spring and 0.8 to 1 degree in winter.

② Spray with 20% dicofol emulsion at 600 to 1000 times.

③ Spray with 40% phosmet emulsion at 1000 to 1500 times.

④ Use washing powder at 150 to 200 times alternately with other pesticides.

5. Control of gall midges

The pesticides used are the same as those for controlling red spider mites and leaf miners.

Processing of Kumquat Fruit

1. Making salted kumquat embryos

The formula is 50 kg of kumquat and 34 kg of raw salt. Process flow: raw material (kumquat fruit) → salting → sun exposure → softening → re-drying → finished product. Processing method: cut 4-6 cracks in each fresh fruit with a kumquat knife or small knife, press out the seeds, pour into a pool, sprinkle in salt, cover well with bamboo utensils and press firmly, salt for 7—8 days, take out and dry in the sun, then salt the dried kumquats again by the method of one layer of kumquat and one layer of salt. After filling the water pool (or vat), press firmly with a bamboo mat and cover well, salt for about 30 days, take out and dry in the sun, soften and then dry again in the sun, and it becomes salted kumquat embryos.

Salted kumquat embryos can be used to make the following foods: processed into snowflake kumquat, kumquat preserves, pearl kumquat, appetizing kumquat, kumquat dried fruit, kumquat preserved plums, and various colorful and delicious canned kumquat products.

2. Brewing kumquat wine

Fresh kumquat fruit can be used to brew kumquat wine.

3. Fresh fruit purchasing specifications

According to market transactions in 1984, they are divided into four grades: grade one fruit has 36 fruits per 0.5 kg, grade two fruit has 40—45 fruits per 0.5 kg, grade three fruit has 60 fruits per 0.5 kg, and grade four fruit has more than 65 fruits per 0.5 kg.

Storage of Kumquat Fruit

In order to regulate and meet market demand and improve economic benefits, six storage and fresh-keeping methods for the fruit are described below.

1. Preparatory work before storage and fresh-keeping

The kumquat fruit should reach 80% maturity and be golden yellow. It is best to pick fruit on consecutive sunny days to reduce moisture content. Pick gently, place gently, and transport gently to avoid bruising. Do not use fruit with pests or diseases. The storage room must be strictly disinfected and kept clean. It must be cool and ventilated while also maintaining a constant temperature. In particular, care must be taken not to let it come into contact with alcoholic fumes.

2. Several fresh-keeping methods

First, the pine needle fresh-keeping method. The practice is: use an upstairs room or a room with a wooden floor as the storage room, lay a layer of 0.8 m wide nylon film on the boards as one compartment, with the length suitable for the size of the room. Place a layer of kumquat fruit on the film, cover with a layer of short pine needles. The thickness of the kumquat fruit and pine needles is 30—40 cm, and then cover with another layer of film.

Second, the sawdust fresh-keeping method. The practice is: use sun-dried fresh sawdust (do not use camphor sawdust), place one layer of fruit and one layer of sawdust in a bamboo basket or spread on the floor. The thickness of fruit and sawdust is 30—40 cm.

Third, the sand fresh-keeping method. The practice is: use clean dry fine sand. One layer of fruit and one layer of sand, with the combined thickness of sand and fresh fruit preferably 30-40 cm.

Fourth, the blighted grain fresh-keeping method. The practice is: use sun-dried and fresh blighted grain husks, one layer of fruit and one layer of blighted grain husks, with the thickness of blighted grain husks and fruit 40—50 cm.

Fifth, the cardboard box fresh-keeping method. One layer of fruit and one layer of white paper, filling 80% of the cardboard box space. The thickness is 30-40 cm.

Sixth, the nylon bag fresh-keeping method. The practice is: put 1.5---2 kg of fruit in each small nylon bag and place it in the storage room. When first put into the storage room, the temperature is relatively high, so it is not suitable to tie the bag opening tightly, to prevent water vapor from rising and causing fruit rot. However, when encountering cold currents and low temperatures, the bag opening should be tied tightly to avoid freezing damage to the fruit.

The above fresh-keeping methods can generally keep fruit fresh for 1-3 months, with a good fruit rate of about 80-95%.

[Fruit Tree Bonsai] Fruit Tree Cultivation Techniques and Fruit Tree Pruning Technique Methods and Steps

      Regarding the ecological environmental benefits of fruit trees, fruit trees generally have strong adaptability and can not only be planted in plains and other places but also grow in sandy wastelands, hills, and coastal mudflats.

     Do you understand fruit tree cultivation? Today the editor will briefly introduce fruit tree cultivation techniques to everyone.

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      In fruit tree cultivation techniques, the first thing is to choose good fruit tree varieties. The selected superior variety saplings must be pure and must adapt to the local natural environmental conditions.
      1. Observe the root system: The root system of superior fruit tree saplings should have more lateral roots and fibrous roots, and they should be evenly distributed. First- and second-grade saplings should have more than 3 lateral roots, and the root system must not be dehydrated.
      2. Specification selection: The height of superior fruit tree saplings is preferably 1-1.3 m, with a ground diameter of 0.8-1 cm. The ground diameter of grape saplings is not less than 0.6 cm.
      3. Sprouting condition: There must be more than 6 full and plump leaf buds in the shaping zone below the trunk-setting position, so that good branches can emerge after trunk setting. Grape saplings must have 3-4 plump buds with high maturity.
      4. Presence or absence of pests and diseases: Choose saplings without pests and diseases. Saplings within the scope of quarantine must have quarantine certificates.
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      Fruit tree cultivation techniques require selecting suitable trees for suitable sites. In front of the house in a wind-sheltered and sunny place, peach, Chinese bayberry, pomegranate, etc. can be planted; behind the house and on both sides, pear, persimmon, Chinese chestnut, jujube, etc. can be planted. On windowsills, drying platforms, rooftop platforms, low walls, and other places, potted kumquat, grape, fig, pomegranate, dwarf peach, etc. can be planted. Attention should also be paid to the arrangement of different early, middle, and late varieties of various fruit trees.
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      For fruit tree cultivation techniques, choose neutral soil with convenient irrigation, ventilation and light transmission, and loose and fertile texture for planting. Most fruit trees are perennial herbaceous plants, so sufficient base fertilizer should be applied, with a plant and row spacing of 40—70 cm, deep plowing 20—30 cm, then level the land and make strip beds 70 cm wide, with the bed surface 10 cm higher than the ground. Select strong seedlings about 15 cm tall, with many branches, thick stems, luxuriant leaves, and no pests or diseases for planting, planting in a triangle arrangement. Generally, planting in the evening is suitable, and after planting, water thoroughly to settle the roots.
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      Management is very important in fruit tree cultivation techniques. Loosen the soil and remove weeds, generally 3-5 times a year, to prevent soil compaction, water reasonably, cultivate soil, and support seedlings. Ginseng has a large fertilizer requirement, so fertilize in a timely manner according to plant needs, and spray the medicinal material Gendaling in a timely manner, which can promote the transport of leaf photosynthetic products (nutrients) to the root system, improve the nutrient conversion rate and soil-loosening capacity, make the rhizome expand rapidly, and greatly increase the content of effective substances.
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      In fruit tree cultivation techniques, attention should be paid to the following.
      1. The period from after fruit trees shed leaves in winter to before budding the following year is the dormant period of fruit trees. At this time, almost all fruit tree pests and diseases begin to hide in overwintering nests, not eating or moving, and enter a dormant state. Therefore, this is the best period of the year for controlling fruit tree pests and diseases.
      2. Trunk whitewashing: after the beginning of winter, scrape off rough bark and loose bark from young tree trunks and trunks and apply whitewash promptly. This can not only increase the pest and disease control effect but also help fruit trees resist freezing. The commonly used whitewash agents include the following two: lime-sulfur mixture and lime-copper sulfate mixture.
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      Fruit tree cultivation techniques are a very complex issue, and cultivation differs for different fruit trees. The editor can only briefly introduce fruit tree cultivation techniques to everyone here. There are still many things not mentioned in fruit tree cultivation techniques, and the editor will supplement them later. I hope everyone will follow the editor.

What are the cultivation technique methods for potted orange trees and what should be noted in pruning

While strolling through the botanical garden, I happened to come across several pots of potted orange trees placed at the garden entrance. Small kumquats hung all over the small trees, making people feel very festive, and I couldn't help but want to touch these little oranges. Imagine if at home one could grow a few potted orange trees like this, enjoying the scenery in spring and summer and tasting sweet and sour little oranges in autumn. It would really be a pleasant thing. So how can potted orange trees be grown? What are the cultivation technique methods for potted orange trees? What should be noted in pruning potted orange trees?

Seeing how beautiful and pretty potted orange trees are, in fact, if you want to grow these potted orange trees well, you really have to put in some effort. Below, the editor will introduce the cultivation technique methods for potted orange trees to everyone.

The planting methods for potted orange trees are as follows:

1. Choose the container

The container for potted fruit trees is mainly round, which helps the root system stretch evenly in all directions. At the same time, the container needs good water permeability and air permeability to ensure the root system's oxygen demand for growth and prevent root rot caused by water accumulation in the container.

Among containers of various materials, unglazed clay pots are most suitable for planting fruit trees. When using containers of other materials, in order to overcome the disadvantage of poor air permeability, a 5 cm thick layer of coarse sand can be laid at the bottom of the pot, and a layer of new tiles can be placed along the inner wall, then fill with soil and plant the tree.

2. Soil, fertilizer, and water management

1. Prepare potting soil

The potting soil suitable for fruit tree growth is generally neutral (pH 4.5-7.5), humus-rich sandy loam or sandy soil. When preparing, fully mix 4 parts of matured garden soil, 2 parts of river sand, and 1 part of plant ash evenly, crush finely, and sieve. The culture soil should be disinfected before use, such as by steaming, baking, or chemical disinfection (sprinkling in 1.5% formalin).

2. Fertilizer and water management

Because the root system of fruit trees can only absorb nutrients from the pot, relying only on the organic fertilizer in the pot is far from enough to meet the needs of fruit tree growth and development, so fertilizer and water management must be emphasized during the growing period. Fertilization should be mainly organic fertilizer, with reasonable combined application of chemical fertilizers. When potting, mix in decomposed organic fertilizer; apply a quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer once before budding, with an appropriate amount of phosphate fertilizer, watering about 1 kg of fertilizer water per plant to promote neat budding and flowering; carry out foliar topdressing during the fruit-setting period after flowering, using 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate plus 0.3% urea, spraying once every 15 days, for 2 consecutive sprays, to promote young fruit expansion and new shoot growth. Apply phosphate and potassium fertilizer 20-30 days before fruit harvest, applying 40-60 grams of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per pot, then water thoroughly, which can increase fruit size and improve quality. After fruit harvest, apply a ternary compound fertilizer again and water. Before fruit trees shed leaves in autumn, apply decomposed farmyard manure as base fertilizer. During the dormant period, watering must be strictly controlled, with the standard being that the potting soil does not become too dry.

3. Repotting

Because the nutrients in the potting soil are absorbed by the fruit tree or leached away by frequent watering, the pot must be repotted in time every 2-3 years and fresh nutrient soil replaced. After turning the root ball out upside down, trim away the old roots around the sides of the root ball to a thickness of 2-3 cm, mix organic fertilizer with nutrient soil and fill it into the bottom, then put the root ball back into the pot with the soil ball intact, add more fertilized soil around it to fill, and water once thoroughly.

This is the cultivation technique for potted kumquat trees. After planting a potted kumquat tree, it is not all smooth sailing. If you want your kumquat tree to bear fruit, you also need to prune and care for the potted kumquat tree at the right times. What should be noted when pruning a potted kumquat tree? Let's learn about it together below.

1. Tree shape selection: For the tree shape of potted fruit trees, according to different requirements such as the fruit tree species and variety's uprightness and drooping habit, you can create tree shapes full of imagination, such as the natural round-headed shape, tower shape, single-branch cliff shape, double-branch antler shape, three-branch cup shape, weeping willow shape, dragon-curved shape, etc. This should not only help fruiting but also have an aesthetic effect, enhancing its ornamental value.

2. Spraying and shaping: Apply chemical control techniques to dwarf the tree body. In summer, during the vigorous growth period of potted fruit trees, spray plant growth retardants (such as chlormequat, paclobutrazol, etc.) on the leaves 2-3 times, which can make the branches sturdy, shorten the internodes, and dwarf the plant. In addition, the measures to promote flowering and dwarfing, and to shape through pruning, mainly include: bud rubbing, pinching, branch bending, branch twisting, ring girdling, heading back, renewal, branch pulling, etc. And by opening the branch angles and thinning out water sprouts, densely growing branches, and ineffective branches, etc., to enhance light exposure and shape the ideal tree form.

3. Flower and fruit management: When the amount of flower buds on the fruit tree is large, thin the flowers during the bud stage, and thin the fruit after the physiological fruit drop period; if the amount of flower buds is small, you can keep more flowers. At the same time, artificial pollination should be carried out.

The above is all the content about the cultivation techniques for potted kumquat trees and the points to note when pruning potted kumquat trees. The editor really feels that growing a potted kumquat is truly not easy, like caring for a small baby that needs attention and care at all times, but I believe that as long as you work hard and care for it attentively, it will certainly not let you down and will surely grow lush and bear abundant fruit next year!