Technical Guidelines For Growing Green Orange On Farmland (Part 2)

Review part 1 here

After preparing all the previous necessary steps, farmers need to master the techniques for caring for green orange trees during the planting process to minimize pests and diseases to achieve the highest yield.

You can achieve high efficiency and productivity using some techniques below.

1. Pruning

The green orange trees produce both vegetative and fruiting buds simultaneously. There is no bud transition over many years, and each branch can develop in a year to produce flowering buds, which will bear one or several fruits at the end of the branch.

Therefore, pruning is necessary to keep the tree healthy, form strong branches that bear fruits, and distribute evenly on the main branches. After harvest, pruning should be done annually, removing branches infected with pests and diseases, weak branches inside the canopy without the ability to bear fruit, crossed branches, and branches that grow excessively.

2. Organic fertilization

The green orange tree requires organic composted manure fertilization of 5-10 kg/tree. Manure can be substituted with biological or microbial organic fertilizer if it is unavailable.

Applying a layer of organic fertilizer to the soil is recommended when preparing the land for planting. This practice helps to improve the soil’s fertility and texture. Gronn 75% OM organic fertilizer (imported from Norway) or chicken/bat manure can be used in appropriate amounts of 1-3 kg/tree/application for top dressing the green orange tree. This should be done 2-3 times yearly, usually during the fruiting period and after the harvest.

3. Fertilize the inorganic fertilizer

Fertilizing orange trees should be done about 3 times a year. The following guidelines should be observed when fertilizing:

+ First fertilization: Use 0.5 – 1kg/tree of NPK Viet Nga fertilizer 20-20-15+TE during January-February.

+ Second fertilization: Use 0.5 – 1kg/tree of NPK Viet Nga fertilizer 20-20-15+TE during April-May.

+ Third fertilization: Use 0.5 – 1kg/tree of NPK Large Fruit 15-5-20+TE or NPK Fruit Development 20-5-25+TE when the fruit is stable around August-September.

+ Fourth fertilization: Use 0.5 – 1kg/tree of NPK Specialized Fruit Tree 16-16-16+TE 20-30 days before harvesting.

It is essential to fertilize orange trees regularly each season. Fertilization should be done around the tree’s circumference, digging a trench 20cm deep and 30cm wide. Add the fertilizer to the trench, and cover it with soil and straw to maintain the necessary moisture. In addition to fertilizer, the use of leaf fertilizer should also be considered to use leaves fertilizer to stimulate rapid and healthy growth of the trees.

4. Fertilize the quicklime

Depending on the soil pH, the recommended doses of lime application are as follows:
pH = 4,0: 1.000 kg/ha
pH = 4,0-4,4: 800 kg/ha
pH = 4,5-4,9: 600 kg/ha
pH = 5,0-5,4: 400 kg/ha
pH = 5,5-5,9: 200 kg/ha
(Biyearly)

5. Flowering treatment

Green orange trees can be induced to flower 18 – 24 months after planting. Flowering requires a dry period for flower bud differentiation, so in well-irrigated gardens, drought can be purposely applied to induce synchronous flowering.

6. Pests and diseases and their management

Many pests and diseases attack green orange trees, especially during the dry season. Some of the main pests include leafminers, fruit borers, red spider mites, yellow spider mites, white spider mites, leafhoppers, and mealybugs,…

Here are some management practices to control pests and diseases in green orange trees during the dry season:
– Control young shoots’ growth simultaneously to limit pests’ continuous damage, making it easier to spray pesticides.
– Moderate fertilization and avoid excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers.
– Regularly monitor the farm during the flowering and fruiting stages, especially after rainfall or fertilization.
– Plant windbreaks around the green orange trees.
– Use yellow sticky traps to monitor the population of some pests, such as leafhoppers and planthoppers.
– Facilitate natural enemies to grow in the orchard, such as golden ants, predatory mites, lacewings, and parasitic wasps, by spraying pesticides only when necessary.
– When pest populations are high, use targeted pesticides for each pest, using biological pesticides, low-toxicity chemical pesticides, combined with mineral oil or adjuvants to prevent the pests from developing pesticide resistance and increase the effectiveness of the pesticides.

We wish you success in applying these techniques and achieving a good harvest. For more agricultural practices, please visit our website.