I apologize ahead of time if I posted this in the wrong area, I couldn't find a more suitable place for this. I am in Texas at the moment. Three years ago I planted 2 orange trees in my backyard (the ones that you buy at the store which are pre-grown). They had oranges on both of them as I planted them. I have been providing them with water and occasional plant feed since. One of the trees bears fruit every year and is around the same size as it was when I planted it. The other tree has been growing more rapidly but is not bearing fruit at all and has not since I planted it. Is there some deficiency that might be taking place which is causing the other tree not to grow oranges? And suggestions would be greatly appreciated. -Jeff
The following document may be of interest: A Guide to Citrus Nutritional Deficiency and Toxicity Identification. If both trees are of the same variety and are treated similarly, it makes me wonder if the growth from the faster growing tree is from the rootstock. If that were the case, the growth would deprive the scion of nutrients, perhaps enough to stunt growth and thus hinder the development of blooms.
Thank you for this information, sorry for the late response. At the moment, both trees are growing more branches than they normally do and are not producing at all. Hopefully they begin to next year. If you have any advise on additives i can do then please let me know. The leaves on both trees are of normal dark green color including the veins and appear to be healthy except for a caterpillar problem. They are each about 4 - 5 feet in height.
The only thing I can think of is over-fertilization which would encourage leafy growth over flower production. However you've mentioned the trees are only being fed occasionally. There are many knowledgeable citrus enthusiasts in the Citrus Growers Forum. You may want to post your question there in the In ground citrus forum.
I'd definitely check on the rootstock suggestion, if you have rootstock shoots coming up those will be from below where the bearing, named varieties start on the stem. Maybe the scion on the one, non-bearing specimen was lost and the whole top is now rootstock.
