Cold protection for citrus: experts remind that the colder it gets, the more you should irrigate, and the less you should fertilize and till the soil

Every year from October onward, the citrus harvest season begins, with juicy and delicious Ponkan mandarins, golden Liucheng oranges, less acidic Haili mandarins, and richly flavored, high-sweetness Murcott mandarins……and so on; each nutrient-rich fruit gradually fills out and ripens as winter arrives. Among the "citrus family," the Ponkan, which has the largest planting area, begins to be harvested from south to north starting in November and December; then Liucheng oranges and Haili mandarins take the stage, entering their mass-production period in December; in January of the following year, it is the turn of Tankan mandarins and Murcott mandarins to be harvested.

To prevent citrus fruits that are in season from being damaged by winter low temperatures, the Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (abbreviated as "Taoyuan DARES") calls on farmers to build up the concept of protecting citrus from the cold through their regular cultivation management, for example by avoiding excessive fertilization and tilling in winter, appropriately clearing ground-cover weeds and regularly pruning the tree canopy, and setting up windbreaks. In addition, before low temperatures arrive, emergency preventive measures should be taken proactively, including continuous sprinkler irrigation and covering the tree body or ground surface with plastic sheeting, to minimize the risk of fruit losses caused by low temperatures.