[Arid_gardener] falling fruit

[Dick Gross]

Hank, there may be other things at play here but, in my experience, any healthy adult citrus will put on many more blooms than it can set and any healthy citrus will rain pea size to golf ball rejects all over the ground so profusely you think nothing is left. The tree will drop all the fruit it hasn't the strength to hold and mature. How much it keeps depends entirely on its overall health and overall care at that given time. There are a number of factors involved, irrigation depth and frequency, where the water is applied, the fertilizer application and the type and the method and area of application, soil structure, weather, type and age of the tree  are some of the factors that can influence fruit drop that is a perfectly natural phenonema that will continue until a balance with its immediate environment is reached. A weak tree will shed much more immature than a healthy one  and a very young tree with a limited root system may well drop everything so not to jeopardize its youth. I've never done it but I've heard a couple of citrus people state that a tree will be healthier if all fruit is removed the first couple of years. I don't know for sure but I am skeptical of that theory.

To reiterate, considering all factors, a tree will set all the fruit it has the ability to carry.

Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer
U of A Maricopa County Cooperative Extension
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Hank Sohns 
  To: Arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 7:11 AM
  Subject: [Arid_gardener] falling fruit


  I live in Houston,TX. I have two orange trees in a large greenhouse(one Navel the other ?) For the past few years they are loaded with flowers and then little fruit and then everything falls off the tree. I have other fruit trees outside and they do the same thing. Help!  Hank   hsohns at houston.rr.com


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