[Arid_gardener] missing lemons

Tue Oct 9 13:59:32 MST 2007

If I may add a note without disputing any of the wisdom offered below-thank you, most, if not all, feeder roots, I've always believed, are concentrated in a three foot band whose center conicides with the "drip line", the definition of which should not need explaining in this erudite fraternity. A shallow trench about 3 feet wide around the tree's circumfernce, with its center being the dripline itself , is the only zone where there are feeder roots capable of injest water and nutrient. I have several healthy, producing citrus trees planted 39 years that have never seen water or nutrient any place inside that three foot ring unless it rained as has happened twice in 40 years, - - - -  kidding, sort of. The feeder ring must be moved outward, of course, to keep up with growth and a portion of the trench should be a bit beyond the drip line because roots will not cross dry land.

Believing that Valley soils have all necessary nutrients except nitrogen, the only fertilizer I've used is 21-0-0. If these fruit trees grew any heartier, I would have to hire help.

As you suggest, Carolyn, fertilizing with the right fertilizer in the right amount at the right place is important and I believe the bag gives that info in the instructions. In recent years, I have let calculated instinct guide me

When my trees were younger, I used a 3" soil drill to bore 12" holes every 18" around the drip line in March, June and September  and after filling each with 21-0-0, irrigated with a half inch head or so of water until I could sink a 3" probe at least three feet all around the drip line. Growth will just explode. I am too old and lazy to continue that regimen and I just lay a bead in the trench and irrigate to the same depth on the same frequency.

Too much fertilizer before it is time to bloom may lead to vegetative growth fooling the tree into believing that it doesn't need to produce to achieve longevity and the energy goes into more foliage than blooming and most of the immature fruit ends upon the ground.

My "science" may conflict with the text books and but my objectives in this outfit are to learn and pass-on when I can what I have been taught.

Dick Gross, 
Master Gardener Volunteer
Sec/Ed Arizona Rare Fruit Growers

"

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carolyn Hills" <carolynhills at cox.net>
To: <gbancroft at w-link.net>; <arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 7:43 AM
Subject: RE: [Arid_gardener] missing lemons

> Hi Gloria -- A few other possibilities for a non-productive citrus tree:
> 
> 1) The tree might be recovering from over-production last year. If a tree
> really puts out a lot of fruit in one year, it may "dump" most or all of its
> blossoms/fruits the following year to allow it to recover. As long as the
> tree looks healthy, don't worry. Commercial citrus growers actually remove
> fruit if a tree is overloaded, since they need consistent production
> year-to-year.
> 
> 2) Not enough fertilizer: Citrus trees are heavy nitrogen feeders, and need
> to be fertilized three times a year in Jan/Feb, Apr/May, and Aug/Sept. A
> tree that has not been adequately fertilized will also dump whatever fruit
> it doesn't have the energy to support. Any good citrus fertilizer from your
> nursery or garden center will do, and follow the instructions on the bag. Be
> very careful not to overfertilize, as that will burn the tree.
> 
> 3) Inconsistent or inadequate watering: The most important thing you can do
> to keep your citrus healthy is to water it correctly. Check out this
> publication from the Maricopa County Extension on irrigating citrus:
> 
> http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1151.pdf
> 
> A tree that has been inadequately watered is weakened, and will also dump
> fruit. Hope this helps!
> 
> Carolyn Hills
> Maricopa County Master Gardener Volunteer
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu
> [mailto:arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu] On Behalf Of Tyler Storey
> Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 9:07 PM
> To: gbancroft at w-link.net; arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu
> Subject: RE: [Arid_gardener] missing lemons
> 
> Hi Gloria,
> It is possible, depending on the timing of your lemon blossoms, that they
> were lost in the January freeze, around the 12th or 13th.  I noted among my
> and my clients' citrus trees that the lemons and Mexican limes in particular
> seemed to lose their fruit this year.  
> 
> For instance, some lemons were blooming before the freeze and lost the
> flowers without setting more.  Some Mexican limes I observed had not yet set
> flowers but lost their flower buds and never did blossom.  
> 
> If your lemon blossomed pre-freeze, that may explain the lack of fruit.  It
> is unfortunately fairly common across the Valley right now.  My normally
> prolific lemon tree (usually bushels of lemons) is offering up only 4 fruits
> this year, albeit abnormally large ones.
> 
> If the blossoms were post-frost, then I'm afraid I don't have an answer.
> 
> Thanks much,
> Tyler
> 
> 
> tyler at tylerstorey.com
> http://tylerstorey.com
> 602-738-2978
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu
> [mailto:arid_gardener-bounces at CALS.arizona.edu] On Behalf Of
> gbancroft at w-link.net
> Sent: Saturday, October 06, 2007 2:19 PM
> To: arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu
> Subject: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page
> 
> Gloria
> 85248
> gbancroft at w-link.net
> 
> Our lemon tree had a lot of blossoms on it this spring but now there are no
> lemons on the tree. What happened?
> 
> 
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