[Arid_gardener] FRANCES -- Your Seville (Mock) Orange Tree

[Genie]

Hi Frances,

Your tree is called a Seville Orange; and you are correct... in the 
Mediterranean the fruits are used to
produce marmalades.  In the U.S. it is called a "Mock Orange" -- as most 
folks are unaware that the fruit 
is edible.

Personally, this is one of my favorite rootstocks:
It is hardy even when temps dip into the teens, nearly impossible to 
kill, and the ones growing at my
hubby's childhood home are (at least) 65 years old.  Even if an extreme 
cold wave severely injures the tree, 
you simply cut it to ground level -- and it will likely come back the 
next year. 

Your tree may have suffered a bit from last year's cold winter -- the 
coldest in 27 years,  Frances!
It is certainly worth a bit of effort to see if the tree (at it's 
current size) can be saved, before chopping it
to ground level and starting anew. You *may* wish to consider trying 
this regimen:
  
Start off by purchasing some "Ironite", a small bottle of Vitamin B-1 
(shake well), and a handful of sulfur.
(The sulfur is simply a precautionary measure, just in case the tree has 
a mild fungus or the soil is
too alkaline.)  Now for the real work... starting about two feet from 
the trunk base, begin scraping away
a few inches of soil all the way to the canopy (that is, the width of 
the tree branches).  When this is completed,
you will have a nice, shallow "well" surrounding the tree to hold a bit 
of water -- but NOT touching the trunk.
Fill this shallow well with water, then fill it again when it drains.  
When you fill the "well" the third time,
shake up that small bottle of Vitamin B-1 and pour half of the bottle 
into the water filled well.  When it drains,
fill the well one more time with plain water.  (Yes, you will fill the 
well a total of FOUR times.)   Now allow the
tree to relax for 3 days, then give it another drink or two of plain water.

Day 4 or 5: Open your bag of sulfur.  Fill the well with water, let it 
drain, gently sprinkle in the handful of sulfur,
then water it again.  The next morning, give it another drink of plain 
water.  (This will allow the sulfur to penetrate the soil.)
 
Day 6 or 7: Open your bag of Ironite.  Fill the well with water, allow 
it to drain, then GENEROUSLY sprinkle
the Ironite micronutrient granules.  If you own a pair of thongs, go in 
the well -- and walk on the Ironite granules
penetrating them into the soil.  Water again.

For the next two weeks, water and observe your tree.  The leaves 
*should* begin to look nicer, with richer
color.  Water regularly.  If the tree begins to look like it is 
responding to this gentle therapy, you may 
use a MILD fertilizer containing Nitrogen in September.  PLEASE DO NOT 
shock the old boy by rushing the
treatments!  Trees that are NOT accustomed to tender-loving-care can go 
into shock, and die.   GO SLOW.

Use NOTHING MORE than plain water until spring, 2008.   He *should* look 
much happier... unless we have
another bone rattling cold winter.

Good Luck,  Frances...
I HOPE THE OLD BOY CAN BE SAVED!

Kindest Regards,  Genie

>Message: 7
>Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:02:27 -0700
>From: "Olin Miller" <olindmiller at att.net>
>Subject: [Arid_gardener] Re: Artificial Orange Tree
>To: "Frances Hallman" <FrancesH at openworksweb.com>,
>	<arid_gardener at cals.arizona.edu>
>Message-ID: <012101c7e447$5bf67d40$c569480c at DJWC0N81>
>Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>	reply-type=original
>
>It appears that Frances meant to say "ornamental" orange tree.  Can somebody 
>familiar with life span and care of sour orange trees comment.  I know here 
>are many citrus trees grafted onto sour orange rootstocks that are well over 
>40 years old but I have no experience wih the sour orange tree.
>
>Olin
>===================================================
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Frances Hallman" 
><FrancesH at openworksweb.com>
>Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 8:45 AM
>Olin,
>It is a real orange tree; my understanding was they are called
>artificial because about the only thing you can use the oranges for is
>marmalade.  Sorry if I don't have the name right.
>======================================
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Olin Miller [mailto:olindmiller at att.net]
>To: arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu;
>Frances Hallman
>Subject: Re: Artificial Orange Tree
>Please forgive me if I misunderstood the question but it dos not appear
>to
>have anything to do with gardening.  Seems to have more to do with home
>decor.
>
>Olin Miller, Master Gardener Volunteer
>U of A Cooperative Extension, Maricopa County AZ
>============================================
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: <francesh at openworksweb.com>
>Sent: Friday, August 17, 2007 9:18 AM>
>
>>85018
>>I have an artifical orange tree that is about 40 years old.  The
>>
>leaves
>
>>have become wrinkly and more sparse.  Can fertilizing help with this
>>problem? Is there anything that can help the health of this old orange
>>tree?
>>
>
>  
>
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