[Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

[Dick Gross]

Lynn. only a guess from meager facts but consider the following. Go back to the blooming stage. Were there abundant blooms and a herd of bees scurrying from one to another?  Did all of the trees have abundant blossoms that did not set fruit on some but did so on others?

Any single tree of bearing age will instinctively only set the amount of fruit that it has the strength to retain at that given time. There could be several reasons for a limited set. Lack of proper irrigation at the right place at the drip line, soaked to the proper depth of at least two feet, the right timing for irrigation, a lack of essential nutrients and the tree could have, unlikely--in my opinion--a disease of some kind, i.e., root rot, are a few of them.

There could also be a problem with genetics but any healthy citrus variety will set far more fruit in the Salt River basin than the average family will consume. Having said that, Navals prefer a humid climate but any naval with decent care in the desert will set a fair crop in this dry desert. Grapefruit does a little better in a dry, hot clime--I could count at least several hundred on my own sweet Pink at any time of the year, but you can find "sour" Florida Grapefruit as well in almost any major grocery store in Phoenix.

This analogy is based upon my own personal experience that may not conform to intellectual standards.

But, I would wager, sight unseen, that the problem you experience is cultural and could probably be overcome with a serious apraisal of your present feeding and watering practices. Perhaps this off-the-wall analogy will lead you to the correct answer--although there could be several  factors contributing to the problem; and other home-growers may disagree with my interpretation while contributing a different diagnosis from which we could all learn.

Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer
University of Arizona 
Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

Bcc: crfg members; vosg

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: <ldmaz1 at cox.net> 
To: <arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 4:11 PM
Subject: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page


> lynn
> 85203
> ldmaz1 at cox.net
> 
> some of my orange trees have very few oranges on them, any ideas on what I can do to boost production for next year?
> 
> 
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