Detailed Explanation of Key Points of Scientific Fertilization Techniques for Navel Oranges
Navel orange is what we call sweet orange; it is a type of orange, and its cultivation history in our country is not very long compared with that of many other common fruits. The most famous navel orange in our country is Gannan navel orange, mainly because Gannan is suitable for growing navel oranges; Gannan navel orange has the characteristics of large fruit, sweetness, good appearance, and juicy high quality. So today what we are going to learn about is a very important point in the process of growing navel oranges. Let us take a look below at its fertilization techniques.
I. Fertilization for Young Trees
Navel oranges generally bear fruit after five years, so we usually call navel orange trees in the first four years young trees. These four years are the period of growth and development for navel orange trees, and what we need to do is promote the growth of the young trees. For one-year-old navel orange trees, we apply additional fertilizer about one month after planting, and we need to apply fertilizer once every month, mainly urea. After the treetop buds sprout and mature, we then need to use it together with compound fertilizer, with the amount controlled at about fifty grams, applied in outer root trenches. There is also one more point to note: for young trees in the growing period, the number of additional fertilizer applications each year is about eight to nine times, which means that generally by early October additional fertilization can be stopped. For two-year-old to four-year-old navel orange trees, the fertilization method is basically the same as for one-year-old trees, but the amount of fertilizer can be appropriately increased, though not more than two hundred grams.
II. Fertilization for Fruiting Trees
1. Spring Fertilizer
Spring fertilizer for navel oranges should be applied as early as possible, generally between February and March each year. When fertilizing, we mainly use the method of outer root trench application, which can avoid nutrients damaging the navel orange root system. Spring fertilizer is mainly to promote the growth of spring buds, which is greatly related to fruiting branches, and it also has a relatively large impact on the number of fruits produced later. We mainly use ternary compound fertilizer for fertilization, among which the nitrogen content is relatively high, and the amount used per fruit tree is about one jin to two jin.
2. Flower and Fruit Fertilizer
The flower and fruit fertilizer for navel oranges is divided into pre-flower fertilizer, fruit-preserving fertilizer, and fruit-strengthening fertilizer. Pre-flower fertilizer is generally applied in early April, in order to supplement the tree's nutrition and ensure the quality of blooming, mainly with quick-acting fertilizers. For navel oranges, this is the fruit-stabilizing fertilizer, generally applied at the end of April, still using compound fertilizer, with the amount per plant controlled at about half a jin, and when applying additional fertilizer it can be combined with fruit-preserving agents, which can increase the fruit-setting rate of navel oranges and reduce fruit drop. Finally, there is the fruit-strengthening fertilizer, generally applied during the period from late June to early July, with the fertilization amount controlled at about two jin, mainly potassium fertilizer, and it must be used together with boron fertilizer and zinc fertilizer.
3. Fertilizer After Fruit Harvest
After the navel oranges have been harvested, in order to restore tree vigor and ensure production in the coming year, we need to scientifically apply post-harvest additional fertilizer. When conditions permit, it is best to use a combination of organic fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer, because this can not only supplement the tree's nutrition but also improve flower bud differentiation, allow the navel orange trees to overwinter safely, and ensure the yield for the coming year.
The general fertilization situation for navel orange cultivation is roughly like this. If everyone wants to understand more detailed issues such as fertilization amounts or fertilization details, then leave a message to the editor for consultation, because the editor's experience is limited and will not explain it in detail here for everyone.