[Arid_gardener] Re: navel orange citrus, stunted

[Dick Gross]

I have a 30 year old prolific Washington Naval that has never shown the 
condition you describe on this tree nor on another on the coast. If, 
however, it hasn't approached its max height in 8 years, I suspect something 
has been lacking in its irrigation and feeding. Some citrus problems are 
transitory and a healthy tree will outgrow them.

Most home citrus are not properly irrigated and fertilized, in my limited 
experience, but in decent soil one can get a respectable tree and fruit 
without any feeding but proper fertilizing will improve production.

All the feeder roots are in a zone around the drip line that is the 
approximate center of a shallow trench you should install two to three feet 
wide and two to three inches deep all around the tree. Put a hose end in the 
trench and adjust the flow to maintain a water table a half to an inch deep. 
Keep the water on until it has soaked at least three feet deep. You can 
check the depth with a barbeque spit. Don't shut the water off intil you can 
sink the spit easily all the way to the hilt. A good home-made device is a 
four foot length of 1/4th inch brass rod from your hardware store. Make a 
handle for it and file a blunt point on the other end. Don't tempt your kids 
to play Zorro with it--stash it with your other weapons. Try to get water at 
least 3 feet deep regardless of how long it takes. The wetting will have 
spread about 3 feet on the surface when you shut the water off. I haven't 
purposefully put water in my basins for 30 years unless it rained. There are 
no feeder roots inside that span to take up water and nutrient anyway.

Feed the tree 21-0-0 distributed in the same trench. Use the amount 
specified on the bag calibrated according to the trunk diameter. I usually 
put it down and cultivate it in a little but you can just pour it directly 
into the water in the trench. The fertilizer is highly soluable. You should 
apply 1/3rd the tree's annual requirement in February, June and September.

In Arizona, I irrigate my trees as described above monthly in the winter and 
every two weeks in the summer. A young tree in the ground three years or 
less, I irrigate weekly in the summer and when the soil is quite dry in the 
drip zone during the winter. If you have poor draining soil, the frequency 
can vary and the degree of percolation through the root zone can also affect 
the frequency. If the water disappears in an hour the second time you fill 
it to ground level in a foot deep hole, your drainage is probably okay.

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

The key factor in citrus culture is, I believe, deep irrigation in well 
drained soil.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Olin Miller" <dergartenarzt at att.net>
To: <arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu>; <b.a.marshall1 at netzero.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 10:53 AM
Subject: [Arid_gardener] Re: navel orange citrus, stunted


> Does it look like the photos of "Nodulisporium Wood Rot" at
> http://home.att.net/~millero/Temp/nodulisporium_wood_rot.pdf
>
> The disease grows at branch nodes of citrus trees.  If so, you might try 
> treating with a fungicide labeled for use on citrus.    Or bring a sample 
> specimen to one of the  Master Gardener Offices for a correct ID and 
> recommended treatment.  Locations at:
> http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/mgs/satelite.htm
>
>
> Olin Miller, Master Gardener Volunteer, Maricopa County AZ
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: <b.a.marshall1 at netzero.net>
> Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2006 9:25 PM
> Subject: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page
>> Brent A Marshall,  Peoria 85381
>> i have  an a navel orange tree that isn't very tall after 8 years  and 
>> most of the  branch  intersections  have fuzzy green growth areas   I 
>> think that they are stunting the growth of the tree  what could they be?
>
>
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