I brought a five foot tangerine tree about three years ago and planted it in my back yard. Other than being told to be sure to water it regularly for the first few months, I wasn't given any directions on how to care for it. I immediatily cut the grass away from the base and put mulch around it. I prune it every year to keep it in rounded shape and to keep it from getting to tall. Its about eight feet now. I bought a citrus stake fertilizer that I used once a year, about this time of year. In addition I heard you need to pick it clean every year so I do. I had a problem with some flying insects that sort of look like hornets and I've no doubt that were causing damage to the tree. I tried a wasp killer on them but it didn't work. So I hose the tree down with a home remedy, soapy water which help some. I now use an insecticide every few months which seems to help. Other than not knowing how to maintain it another problem is the fruit is dry. I've picked it when it is just turning ripe (still a little green in it) dry. Wait a couple of weeks pick another, up to months later still dry. Someone suggested it might not be getting enough water. I have sprinkler system in the front yard so I extended it to the tangerine tree, this was a couple of weeks ago. The tree itself doesn't look to bad. A few of the leaves are a little yellow, but we had a freeze warning which might explain it. Some of the leaves have what looks like a black soot on them. The tree is blooming right now, not a lot, but it never has. I don't think I have a bug probelm except what I mention above. But then again I don't know what to look for. So what am I doing wrong and what do I need to be doing. By the way I live in central Florida if that helps.
Tangerine trees (Mandarins) are susceptible to making dry sections ESPECIALLY when the trees are young. A citrus tree ordinarily requires to reach the age of 5 years before quality fruit begins to be produced. Several factors can contribute to dry fruit: 1. Picking the fruit too late in the season 2. Young tree (it improves with age) 3. Too much N fertilizer throughout the season 4. Rootstock has an effect (fast-growing, vigorous rootstocks make the problem worse in the first few years of the tree's life). Assuming yours is a young tree, it may just need some time to grow up Further, you are considerably under fertilizing your tree. There are many threads on this forum concerning the correct method of fertilizing citrus trees in Florida. All citrus varieties ONLY produce blooms on the new growth, pruning by its very nature reduces the new growth, therefore, greatly reduces blooming and fruit production. - Millet (1,397-)
