Citrus fruits are very pleasant and also very particular plants compared to other fruit trees, for their persistent quality and for their tropical origins, which make them suitable for the mild climates of southern and central Italy.
The sweet orange is undoubtedly one of the most widespread and cultivated citrus fruits, both in gardens and in citrus orchards. It is not a plant that requires many cutting operations, but surely a light and regular size is a good premise for duration and balanced orange production.
In this article we are dedicated to pruning orange tree and we see how to achieve a harmonious and healthy development of the plant and harvest quality fruits.
Contents [Ocultar]
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Tree Features You Need to Know
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How much to prune orange
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brood size
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production size
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Cunning in pruning work
Contents
Tree Features You Need to Know
For pruning orange trees, it is useful to know that citrus fruits bear fruit on last year’s branches and that periods of branch growth occur at three times: spring, early summer, and fall. With the excessive heat of summer, especially if there is a lack of water, growth arrest occurs, as well as during periods of lower temperatures in winter.
The orange tree, like other citrus fruits, belongs to the Rutaceae family and because it is perennial, it never goes into a true state of dormancy but is limited to a winter rest during the coldest periods.
It is a species that does not tolerate very strong temperature drops. It is quite possible that, despite all the negative effects of climate change, orange cultivation will expand further north in the future.
How much to prune orange
During the winter stasis, the flowering of the shoots is induced, then in the period between February and March the plant experiences its maximum accumulation of reserve substances in the leaves and branches. Pruning should never be done during this crucial period. , because the setting of the flowers, and therefore the production, is done according to the quantity of reserve substances that the plant was able to accumulate. In addition to the end of winter, it is necessary also avoid too hot and too cold months and therefore intervene in the remaining periods.
Typically, the orange tree is pruned at the beginning of summer, for example in June .
farm size
There are different types of pruning that are carried out on a fruit plant, the cultivation or training involves the first years of life of the orange tree and serves to define the shape that the tree will have.
To establish the growth phase of the orange tree everything depends on the state of the plant at the time of purchase, there are two possibilities:
- 2 year old oranges already covered . This is the situation where the nurseryman has already started the form, and it will be noticed that the plant has a trunk 50-70 cm high, of which 3-5 main branches are well distributed in space. In these cases, it is not necessary to intervene with other cuts during the following 2 or 3 years, except for the elimination of the suckers that may be born directly on the trunk and the thinning of those that grow in the foliage, to avoid their grouping.
- Plants that are not yet in the nursery . In this case, the plant has a main stem, which must be shortened to a height of 50-70 cm, to stimulate the emission of side branches close to the cutting point. Among all those that come to life, you have to choose between 3 and 5, well spaced between them, to form the main branches of the plant. Also in this case, they must then cut the suckers that come out under the cut, on the trunk.
orange balloons
the ball is the most suitable form of cultivation with the natural port of citrus fruits, and therefore also of orange.
It is a somewhat less regular variant of the classic vase, in which there are secondary branches also in the central area, with the result that the foliage is dense and full even inside, without any precise division of spaces.
In citrus fruits, in fact, although it is important to illuminate the foliage, it is necessary to avoid excessive exposure of the branches to the sun. , which would cause damaging burns, easy in typical Mediterranean growing areas. Plants have a natural globular bushy habit, and this form, no matter how carefully taken care of, follows them in their growth trend.
production reduction
Once the first years after planting have passed, the orange tree benefits from regular pruning which keeps the plant in order.
It is a tree that does not require intensive pruning work , it is useful to prune it lightly, intervening at most every 2-3 years, with practices aimed more at cleaning than at regulating the productive load, as is done in other fruit trees. Let’s see the main criteria of a good size orange tree
- Dilution of juices , vertical branches which, in citrus fruits, can produce, unlike other fruit trees, a downward bending. If the juices are too complex and close together, some of them must be removed.
- Pacifiers too vigorous .
- Clean the trunk of young twigs which are born directly inserted into it.
- Removal of diseased or dry branches.
Precisions in pruning work
When pruning the orange tree, it is good to take into account important precautions to ensure the health of the plant. Some of these precautions are general and should be considered when pruning the garden, while others are more specific to this plant.
- Never overdo it with cuts , because in the orange tree one obtains a good flowering, and therefore fruiting, if the plant has an adequate number of leaves. Excessive felling tends to favor the reforestation of vegetation to the detriment of production.
- Balance productive load also considering that the branches can break due to the excessive weight of the fruits.
- canopy lighting this is an important requirement for orange groves, but less strict for citrus than for other fruit species, precisely because the canopy in this case must be protected from strong sunlight.
- Choose good quality tools so you can work safely and make clean cuts that don’t cause the wood to chip.
- disinfect the leaves in the event of passage from a plant affected by a pathology, in particular if a virus is suspected, to a healthy plant.