How to Grow Navel Oranges: A Detailed Guide to Practical Planting Methods and Key Techniques
Navel orange, also known as sweet orange, is a fairly well-known orange variety, and navel oranges are a very popular fruit in China. Because navel oranges have no seeds, propagation is mainly done by cuttings. Navel oranges are rich in vitamin C and carotene, can fight cancer, and can improve human health and lower blood lipids, making them very beneficial to human growth. So how should navel oranges be grown? Today, the editor brings you the planting methods for navel oranges. Let's take a look!
1. Select Superior Varieties
The first step in planting is selecting the variety. To grow navel oranges with high yield and good quality, you must choose a high-quality variety. You also need to pay attention to its disease resistance. After choosing the variety, observe the seedlings and select well-growing, robust saplings. This can not only increase the survival rate but also ensure yield and quality. Be sure to inspect the saplings several times; never mistakenly choose saplings with pests or diseases. Then choose good weather for planting, and before planting, be sure to sterilize and disinfect the saplings.
2. Land Preparation and Planting
About half a month before planting the saplings by cuttings, carry out land preparation on the soil, plowing and leveling the soil. For plots with compacted soil, appropriately increase the depth of cultivation. After land preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer, mix the fertilizer and soil thoroughly and evenly so the soil absorbs nutrients, and then about half a month later you can begin planting cuttings. Before planting cuttings, pay attention to planting density and control the spacing between plants and rows. Be careful when planting cuttings so as not to damage the sapling roots. Otherwise, it will affect root nutrient absorption and reduce the survival rate. After all cuttings are planted, cover with soil promptly and water thoroughly to set the roots.
3. Thinning Seedlings and Weeding
After planting, observe the growth of the seedlings regularly. About three weeks after planting, thin the seedlings according to the specific growth conditions of the saplings. Weak, thin, small, or diseased saplings should be removed promptly and replaced with good saplings. Also ensure that the spacing between each sapling differs by no more than 5 cm. As long as the saplings are in the growth period, check and replant seedlings promptly. Then remove weeds from the orchard promptly, because the nutrient absorption ability of navel orange saplings is not yet very strong. This prevents weeds from competing for nutrients and increases fertilizer costs.
4. Water and Fertilizer Management
Navel oranges have a relatively high demand for nutrients during growth, so they require a large amount of fertilizer. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer during land preparation, timely topdressing should also be done according to the growth of the navel orange trees. Generally, the number of topdressings throughout the entire growth period must not be less than 4 times to ensure that navel oranges have sufficient and comprehensive nutrients for their growth. Watering is relatively less strict. After watering thoroughly to set the roots, there is no need to water unless it is very dry. However, this also depends on the soil moisture content; just keep the soil moist. During the peak growth period of navel oranges, however, water more to promote flowering and fruiting and increase yield.
The above is a brief introduction to navel orange planting methods. Navel oranges have no seeds, so the genes of today's navel oranges are exactly the same as those of the very first navel orange tree. However, this is not the main point. Because the cutting method is rather troublesome, we hope everyone will pay close attention to prevent planting failure. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. If you want to learn more related information, please continue to follow us!