When is the best time to prune orange trees?

Orange Tree Overview

The orange tree is a plant of the genus Citrus in the Rutaceae family. It is native to China and is widely planted in provinces south of the Yangtze River. It is about 3 meters tall, blooms in spring, and the fruit ripens in October-December. It likes a warm and humid environment and is relatively cold-resistant.

Orange tree pruning time

1. Spring pruning: Orange trees can be pruned in March. Diseased and insect-infested branches, clustered branches, dead branches, inner branches, and dense branches should be cut off. Mainly pruning inner branches and clustered branches should be done to increase light transmittance. This pruning should be light, and watering and fertilizing should be done in time.

2. Summer pruning: The tips of orange trees can be removed in June. If the tips are not in an ideal position, it is recommended to remove them. There are few summer tips, but they grow very fast, robbing fertilizer and water and affecting the shape of the tree. Trees that bear too much fruit should have their fruits thinned out in time.

3. Autumn pruning: The specific time is from September to October. If you want it to grow autumn shoots, it is best to cut it short. If you don’t want it to grow leaves, you can thin it out. Cut off clustered branches, remove those that grow horizontally and disorderly, and thin out those that are too long. You can prune it slightly heavily to cultivate strong autumn shoots.

4. Winter: Orange trees will enter a dormant period in winter. After the fruits are harvested in autumn, the tree vigor has not recovered at this time. If the branches are not insect-infested or dead, try not to prune them.

Orange tree pruning methods and steps

According to the actual situation of the orange tree, you can adopt the methods of pruning, thinning, pinching back, twisting and kneading the branches. Cut off part of the branches to promote branching. In addition, cut off excess dense weak branches, clumped branches, and long branches to increase the ventilation and light transmission of the plant, which is conducive to flowering and fruiting.

The tip of the orange tree can be pruned back. The heavier the pruned back, the stronger the germination and growth of the cut branches. Twisting and kneading the shoots mainly damage the shoots to prevent the transport of nutrients, thereby slowing down the growth rate, promoting flower bud differentiation, and increasing fruit yield.

Orange tree pruning precautions

It should be noted that before pruning the orange tree, it is necessary to spray pesticides to prevent diseases and pests such as psyllids and red spiders. After pruning, it is necessary to spray pesticides again in time to facilitate the healing of the tree wounds. Agents such as mancozeb and myclobutanil that can prevent and control anthracnose can be used.