How to Grow Ponkan? A Full Analysis of Planting Methods and Key Technical Points

Ponkan, also called lukan, is a fruit that has become very popular on the market in recent years, especially during the Spring Festival, when ponkan sales reach their highest peak. The peel of ponkan is slightly thick but easy to remove, the fruit tastes fresh, sweet and fragrant, and it stores relatively well. It also has strong adaptability to the environment, has the largest planting area in tropical climates, and gives stable, high yields. So today we will mainly study the planting techniques for ponkan. Let's take a look together.

1. Site Selection and Orchard Establishment

The main producing areas of ponkan in China are Zhejiang, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi and Sichuan. So the choice of orchard site needs to be made by referring to the conditions of each planting area. In general, the requirements are only that the soil layer is deep, the soil texture is loose, the organic matter content is rich, the nutrients are sufficient, and the soil pH is moderate or slightly acidic. Next, it is best if the orchard site has a bit of slope to facilitate drainage, and of course it should be close to a water source for convenient irrigation. Finally, the transportation near the orchard should be convenient, making it easy to transport and sell the ponkan.

2. Planting Techniques

The planting time for ponkan is generally from September to November each year, as well as February and March each year. When planting, the spacing is generally 4 m between rows and 3 m between plants, and about 50 to 60 plants can usually be planted per mu. Before planting, the planting holes must be dug, with a depth and width of 90 cm and 80 cm respectively. After the planting holes are dug, pour in soil fertilizer to a thickness of about 40 cm, then sprinkle fine soil to a thickness of 10 cm into the holes, and finally planting can be carried out. When planting, hold the seedling upright, then backfill with soil, compact the ground, and water thoroughly.

3. Water and Fertilizer Management

In order to let ponkan grow healthily and quickly, it is generally better to use more organic fertilizer, while also applying inorganic fertilizer and formula feed in combination. When fertilizing, soil application is the main method, combined with foliar application. Soil application generally uses methods such as ring-shaped trenching, band application, hole application and broadcasting on the soil surface. During the young tree stage, ponkan should be fertilized frequently and lightly, mainly with nitrogen fertilizer, combined with potassium fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer, with at least five to six topdressings a year. Mature trees need four topdressings a year: the sprouting fertilizer is mainly manure and urine water, the fruit-setting fertilizer is mainly phosphate and potassium fertilizer, the fruit-strengthening fertilizer is the same as the fruit-setting fertilizer, and the post-harvest fertilizer is organic fertilizer. At the same time, watering and drainage should be carried out reasonably according to the different growth stages of the ponkan tree.

4. Pruning and Shaping

Pruning of ponkan trees is mainly divided into four stages. The first is pruning young trees, mainly light pruning, keeping the main branches, and when the branches grow to a certain length, cutting them lightly and shortening them to regulate the growth balance among the main trunks and thin out dense branches. For ponkan trees that have just started bearing fruit, continue to cut back the main branches at all levels, promote the growth of strong branches, and remove summer shoots. Also promote flowering through measures such as girdling. Then there is pruning during the full bearing period, mainly pruning diseased branches, weak branches, dead branches, dense branches and old branches to maintain the current yield. Finally, for trees in the aging period, we need to maintain the yield of the fruit trees, so the main branches need to be replaced and branches retained anew.

5. Pest and Disease Control

The most common diseases of ponkan include foot rot and anthracnose. Foot rot is caused by poor field aeration and can be controlled with carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl. Anthracnose, however, is caused by excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer, too much water in the field, and rising temperatures, and can be treated with mancozeb and chlorothalonil. The main pests include mites, scale insects, aphids, leafminers, longhorn beetles, flower bud maggots and other pests. Pest problems are very frequent, and we generally use low-toxicity pyrethroid pesticides to kill them, or use physical principles to trap and kill them.

The above are the planting methods for ponkan. During the planting process, we can also use bagging technology to prevent and control pests and diseases. If you want to learn more detailed content, remember to follow us and leave a message for the editor for consultation.