Is it ok to wrap the trunks of small orange trees?, In this area..... Tampa Bay...... they say to beat the trunks of an orange tree to stimulate flower production. Is there a better way?
how big is the tree and how long has it been planted or is it in a pot is it grafted or seedling . i sprayed mine with potasium nitrate at the end of last year and than again early spring they bloomed not sure if that triggered th bloom but i did fertilized at a better time round end of feb. as for beating the trunk i think it is more for northern trees and fruit trees to get the sap flowing on stuborn trees that take to long to break dormancy. and it could also be that last freeze we had stoped it from blooming i have a key lime that had flowers and tiny fruit till that last freek drop in temp in march and it lost all the flowers and fruit but it is blooming again so might get a few fruit. and have a wekeiwa tangelo that had prob 15 or so fruit holding and still had flowers it now has only 2 or 3 fruit all the rest droped and it droped all the flowers. and it did not reflower. i also had a pumelo that lost all its fruit too. so it could have been that cold spell
Nitrogen, plays a function in the differentiating of the vegetation buds that a citrus tree produces, into floral buds. Therefore an application of potassium nitrate approximately 1 month prior to the expected bloom date, as written above by mikeyinfla, is helpful. More commonly, commercial growers spray Urea one month before expected bloom for the same purpose. Beating the trunk is an old wives tale, and a waste of time. In areas of high rainfall, and irrigation, such as the area your tree is growing, the risk of root rot and stem is constantly present. Both diseases are caused by the fungi phytophthora. The fungi attacks the root system and trunk of the citrus tree, and impairs major physiological functions, resulting in yellowing of foliage, poor growth, and dieback of terminal shoots, leaf drop, branch dieback, and ultimately decline and death of the tree. Thus, phytophthora fungi directly or indirectly affect fruit size, yield, post harvest quality, and even tree survival. Conditions favorable for the formation of this fungi are wet and and higher levels of retained moisture upon the trunk and base of the tree. It has been found that tree wraps, increase the risk of root and stem rots by proving such conditions and thus are not recommended, ESPECIALLY on young trees. In Florida, a young citrus tree (less than 4 years old) needs to be fertilized 6 times a year beginning in February and ending in September, using either a 6-6-6 or an 8-8-8 formulated fertilizer. Lastly, the amount of fruit a citrus tree will produce has a great deal to do with the trees size and age. As a Florida resident purchase the booklet "Florida Your Dooryard Citrus Guide" by Jim Ferguson from IFAS-Extension Bookstore P.O.Box 110011, Gainesville, FL 32611-0011, or telephone 352-392-2411. This little 41 page booklet, will teach you in a single day everything you need to know about caring for your citrus tree, and how to help the tree to achieve a good crop of fruit for you and your family for years to come. The best to you and your tree. - Millet (1,322-) http://citrus.forumup.org/
Trees are Hamblin and Valencia and the Hamblin is a graft, not sure on the Valencia as there is no visable scar. Trees are 2yrs in the ground and probably 3-4 yrs old. Thanks to Mike and Millet. Book will be on order today for care of these trees. Best Regards: Grok
