Hello, I purchased an orange tree during last fall. This tree had fruits last year in the pot at Home depot. I planted this tree in my backyard and mixed "Steer manure" with soil during plantation. During last year this tree had little white flowers but no fruits. There was no other noticeable change in the tree. Since the whole year I didn't see much change in the tree, a month back I added the same manure and some citrus plant food as suggested. Now I see half of the tree stems are black and other half of the tree is little green but with very few leaves. Can you please suggest how can I save this tree. Regards Rajeev
I'm not clear on how long the tree has been planted--is it about 6 months or about 18 months? Was the tree exposed to any cold weather after it started to put out new growth?
I planted the tree in Jan 2007. It was cold last year in northern California but the tree was fine till Jan'08. The only growth I saw the whole year was little white flowers. Probably in one year there is not much height/stem changes.
I can't say for sure, but the manure in the soil may have caused some root rot due to moisture retention. In general it is not good to amend the soil when planting citrus trees-- I know it seems like a good practice for other trees, but not citrus. Second, have you fertilized the tree? Can you post some pictures?
Your tree may make it, but it has clearly had a rough time. The left side is dead and can be cut away--down to a 1/4 to 1/2 inch above any green wood. The flowers are a sign of stress, my guess is the stress came from root damage caused by the manure added to the hole when planted. The tree appears to be recovering. You do need to fertilize, but I would keep the fertilizer at least a foot from the trunk of the tree to encourage growth outside the amended soil. Good luck to your tree.
Hi, Today morning before reading your reply I took the tree out and removed the soil(with manure) and put in some dry surrounding soil around the roots (I've not yet watered the plants). As you advised I'll get some fertilizer this weekend and put it around the tree( a foot away). Can you pls suggest what fertilizer to use. Thanks Rajeev
It is no wonder that your tree has not grown much, as you have not given the tree the care required, nor has the tree been fed for over a year. Because of this, your orange tree is incapable of producing any growth. Manure contributes a little nitrogen, but very little of the other elements that are required by citrus trees. Citrus, like all evergreen plants, absorb nutritional substances almost continually. Their period of greatest requirement is between the beginning of spring and the beginning of winter., and reaches a peak during the spring. Citrus require more nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium than other fruit bearing plants, and consume most of these when the fruit is ripening. You need to fertilize your tree 4 time a year, with a complete fertilizer such as 6-6-6 or 8-8-8. For such a young tree DO NOT USE a fertilizer with a nitrogen content higher than 8 percent. A quick search on this form will give you the times to fertilize, and the quantities to apply at each fertilizing. Citrus trees need special attention and care in order to grow really well. I wish the very best of luck and care to this tree. - Millet
With inground trees it is not as important to get the exact mix used by the tree, but citrus trees use fertilizer in the ratio of 5-1-3 NPK. That said, N and K are both highly soluble and will leach out if there is much rain. So, you can use a balanced fertilizer like 8-8-8 and if you want you can supplement that with some ammonium sulfate for extra N. You can also put composted manure around the tree on the surface of the soil if you want, but keep it at least a foot from the trunk. Citrus trees are heavy N feeders, but with a small tree it is best to apply it frequently but in small amounts (I use about a cup a month of 888 from Feb to Sep).
Thanks for all your timely(I hope the tree lives on) replies. I probably should have read more about the care of this tree before planting it. I'll trim the tree as suggested and will start with the fertilization process. Rajeev
If you do get some ammonium sulfate to supplement the N, just be aware that it is 21% N--use it sparingly--about 1 oz a couple time a year while the tree is small then increase with size of the tree to just a few ounces at a time for a larger tree.
Thanks for all your advice, I had planted few more trees(lime & peach) last year and used the same manure. I'll fix all of them now before they get hurt. sincere regards Rajeev