As long as we're talking oranges
My blood orange is now producing regular oranges. I think the graft died and I'm just gettting arizona sweets from the root stock...does that make sense?
pisses me off because i really like blood oranges and just when it started producing pretty well...bang no more blood.
| Steve,
| Most orange trees are alternate bearing. Depending on the weather, the bloom
| will hold proportionate to the trees capability. The spliting is usually
| caused by the orange's center growing faster than the skin. Now would be a
| good time to prune the tree. The thorny branches you noted on the tree are
| a derivitive of the root stock and can be removed. . What you want to keep
| is recent growth (this years flush), a solid leaf structure to maintain a
| good canopy and branches with fruit wood. You want to elininate succors ,
| inside dead wood, branches growing down on the lower outside of the canopy
| (skirt the tree) and branches that are causing structural conflict in the
| tree or eliminating "too much sunlight" to the trees center. As soon as the
| bloom falls put a small amount of the "3's" (usually 30-30-30=percentages of
| Nitrigen, Potassium and Phosphorus)at the base of the tree, far enough from
| the trunk to catch the fringes of the root system.You can put on other
| minerals later if the tree show signs of need. Start the water no later than
| the end of petal fall. Potassium is the usual answer to spliting. It
| increases skin growth, better sizing. For your info we have some branches
| that bend as much as 4-5 feet downward from fruitload, without breaking.
| You'll be surprised how much weight even the smallest twigs will hold.
|
| If its a potted dwarf then you might want to consider either a bigger pot or
| planting it in the ground if possible.
|
| Valencias carry two crops a year. We started picking yesterday and will
| probably finish about the first of June (about 135,000 40# cartons). At the
| same time next year's crop is blooming and setting on the trees. The Navels
| were completed in February (300,000 40# cartons).
|
| We do have bees from Mid March to Mid April. Although its not manditory.
|
| Good luck on your tree. The fruit on the tree, which I assume is a navel,
| should be picked off prior to bloom.
|
| Yes this is our time of Heaven. My office is in the middle of the grove!
|
| Bob
|
| | > FM, Thanks for the response
| >
| > The tree and the root graft are exactly as you describe it.
| > It's an orange tree ( variety escapes me at the moment though )
| >
| > We'll leave the blossoms on this year, but if there are as many as past
| year
| > I'm afraid the poor thing will fall over.
| > We did miss one blossom last year, but the fruit split as it started to
| > ripen
| >
| > 50000 orange trees in bloom must be a beautiful sight, let alone the scent
| > of orange blossoms in the air.
| > Do you maintain Honey Bees to help with pollination??
| >
| > As an aside, the company Christie ( better half ) works with is in the
| > orange oils / citrus oils business.
| > Move the stuff by the tank truck load.
| > They just turned down an offer from one of the orange processors to
| > guarantee loads to them at .45 cents a pound because the owner thinks
| orange
| > oils / d-limonine prices etc. are going lower.
| >
| >
| > --
| > Steve Easton
| > Microsoft MVP FrontPage
| > 95isalive
| > This site is best viewed............
| > .......................with a computer
| >
| > | > > Dear Steve,
| > > I hate to tell you but you've been had. I don't know what your root
| stock
| > > looks like now but at three years old it should be the first 2-3 inches
| of
| > > the tree above ground. Once the variety is grafted onto the root stock
| it
| > > becomes the foundation of the tree's root system and has little or
| nothing
| > > to do with the cultural practise of the tree. Flying Dragon is nothing
| > more
| > > than a variety of Trifoliate Stock. Its used mainly in Dwarf trees. We
| > > happen to plant on C35, which is a more tolerant variety to cold
| weather.
| > > Whoever told you to pinch off the blossums is nuts. You do that for
| stone
| > > fruit (ie peaches etc) because the branch system is to weak to hold the
| > > fruit. Mother nature will do its own work, leave the blossums alone. If
| > you
| > > have a dwarf variety you should still have a single truck that by now is
| 1
| > > 1/2 - 2 feet high to the crouch. If you have branches below that ,
| coming
| > > out of the root stock, they are succors and should be pruned off. What
| > > variety of fruit is grafted to the stock? You can grow peach bushes but
| > > oranges don't do well as a bush. The root stock is important in freezing
| > > areas because you can burn the branch system and it will recover. I
| won't
| > go
| > > into a lot of technicals but when the root system freezes the trees
| gone.
| > Is
| > > your tree blooming right now? We've got 50,000 that are.
| > >
| > > Bob
| > >
| > > | > > > I am really serious.
| > > > Only have one Orange tree, but it is / was grafted to Flying Dragon
| root
| > > > stock.
| > > > Had to listen to a lecture from the guy we bought it from as to how to
| > > take
| > > > care of it.
| > > > It's going on year three and we still are supposed to pluck the
| blossoms
| > > > every year.
| > > > It has the "checked for cancer" registration tag and all.
| > > > Big thing here in Florida because it is supposedly more freeze
| tolerant.
| > > > Now, what the root stock which lives underground has to do with freeze
| > > > tolerance for the tree that lives above ground is beyond me.
| > > >
| > > > The root stock itself looks like a bramble with thorns.
| > > > ( we had to be shown it in the nursery where we bought the tree )
| > > >
| > > > Do a Google search for "flying dragon rootstock" with the quotes.
| > > >
| > > > --
| > > > Steve Easton
| > > > Microsoft MVP FrontPage
| > > > 95isalive
| > > > This site is best viewed............
| > > > .......................with a computer
| > > >
| > > > | > > > > Steve,
| > > > > I've heard of some weird "root stocks" but that one's out of my
| realm.
| > > If
| > > > > you're serious let me know and I'll research it.
| > > > >
| > > > > Bob
| > > > >
| > > > > | > > > > > No Flying Dragon root stock, or is that more of a Florida
| variety??
| > > > > >
| > > > > >
| > > > > >
| > > > > > --
| > > > > > Steve Easton
| > > > > > Microsoft MVP FrontPage
| > > > > > 95isalive
| > > > > > This site is best viewed............
| > > > > > .......................with a computer
| > > > > >
| > > > > > | > > > > > > Just a word of thanks. I got one of my projects done.
| > > > > > > Is at.
http://www.agriswiss.com/Ranch Photos.htm
| > > > > > >
| > > > > > > I still have some work to do on the other site but at least I'm
| > > making
| > > > > > > progress.
| > > > > > >
| > > > > > > Sincerely,
| > > > > > >
| > > > > > > Bob
| > > > > > >
| > > > > > >
| > > > > > >
| > > > > >
| > > > > >
| > > > >
| > > > >
| > > >
| > > >
| > >
| > >
| >
| >
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