Planting methods and management of Red Beauty

The original name of Red Beauty is "Ehime No. 28". The citrus fruit is oblate, the flesh is orange-yellow, soft and juicy, very delicious, and is planted in many areas. Here is an introduction to the planting and management of Red Beauty.

1. Garden selection

You should choose paddy fields or hillsides with deep and fertile soil, strong water and fertilizer retention capacity, good drainage and irrigation, a pH of 5.5 to 6.5, and a slope of less than 25°. Red Beauty has poor frost resistance and is more sensitive to soil moisture content. It has high requirements for heat, light, fertilizer and water. It needs to be planted in a garden with convenient irrigation and drainage, sufficient light and fertile soil.

2. Planting

It is best to apply enough base fertilizer before planting. It is best to use well-rotted organic fertilizer or compost, and then add an appropriate amount of phosphorus fertilizer. Mix the base fertilizer with the soil in the planting hole, cover it with a layer of soil, and then plant. When planting, fill in the fine soil just to cover the root neck, and build a small earth ridge around the seedlings. Immediately after planting, water the small earth ridge enough to help the seeds take root. Finally, cover the tree pit with weeds or plastic film.

3. Fertilizer and water management

Red Beauty has a high demand for fertilizer and water, so it is necessary to reasonably strengthen fertilizer and water management and appropriately increase the total amount of fertilizer applied throughout the year. Fertilization is mainly done through soil application, combined with foliar application. Organic fertilizer is mainly applied in furrows, holes and by broadcasting, while inorganic fertilizer can be applied using a spray and drip irrigation system, which saves time and labor. Young trees are mainly fed with nitrogen fertilizer, combined with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, with the principle of applying small amounts of fertilizer frequently to cultivate strong tree vigor and good crowns, and applying fertilizers to promote shoot growth and strengthen shoots.

4. Flower and fruit management

Red Beauty has a high fruit setting rate. In order to maintain high yield and high quality, foliar fertilizer can be applied before and after flowering, and trace elements can be sprayed in combination with foliar fertilizer to promote fruiting. It is carried out from budding to flowering period, mainly focusing on pruning and thinning branches. Fruit thinning can be done in two stages. The first stage is from late June to early July to remove diseased and insect-infested fruits, deformed fruits, damaged fruits, and excessive and dense fruits in the crown. The second time is from August to September, when cracked fruits, mechanically injured fruits, diseased and insect-infested fruits, small fruits and fruits at the tips of branches are removed. Bagging can be done on the remaining fruits from mid-July to mid-August to effectively prevent damage by diseases and insects.

5. Plastic surgery

For young trees, the main focus is on expanding the crown, cultivating main branches, and increasing the number of leaves on the crown branches. One year after planting, encourage the spring, summer and autumn shoots to sprout multiple times to accelerate the formation of the crown. Red Beauty has a strong ability to sprout new shoots. When new shoots emerge, it is easy to sprout 4 to 6 branches. When the branches grow to 3 to 4 cm, remove the excessive and weak buds. It is appropriate to retain 2 to 3 branches on each shoot according to the crown space. Pinch the branches when they grow to 6 to 8 leaves. Newly produced trees should be pruned in a timely manner, with dense branches, strong branches, dead branches and weak branches cut off, effective fruit-bearing branch groups cultivated, and the extension branches of the main and secondary branches appropriately shortened to maintain a certain growth rate and tree vigor.

6. Prevent sunburn

In order to reduce sunburn, the orchard adopts the grass growing method, and the autumn shoots are released in advance at the end of July. The purpose is to let the new shoots block part of the light, thereby reducing the sunburn rate.

That’s it