Sick Tangerine Tree...please help Six years ago we moved into a home and inherited a tangerine tree. The leaves are far and few between and has curling and yellow leaves, but produces fruit and has new growth. It appears to be a VERY old tree? I'm attaching pictures and would appreciate any advice on how to bring it back to a healthy state.
It happens that trees in bearing for a considerable length of time begin to deteriorate, the growth becoming stunted and thin with the crops lighter from year to year. In such cases, the trees may be brought back into good condition by cutting them back severely and growing new tops on them. In arid and semi arid climates, it is good practice to whitewash trees that have been cut back, to protect the newly exposed trunks and branches from sunburn. Old high headed trees may often be improved by building the head downward. Frequently, suckers spring from the old large branches and shove their way up through the top of the tree. Many people call them water sprouts, think they will never bear, and remove them as soon as they appear, but this is not good policy. They may be thinned out if too numerous, but some of them should be allowed to remain. After rising above the surrounding top, they branch and bear fruit. All dead branches should be removed and also all those in poor condition. If there are a sufficient number of good branches to make a new top, the removal of dead and unhealthy parts may be all that is required. However, if the top is in bad condition, with few healthy vigorous branches remaining, it is best to cut them all back severely, leaving only the trunk and short stubs of the main branches. Following the pruning, the tree should be thoroughly sprayed with a miscible oil, horticultural oils such as UltraFine or Volk oils, to destroy insects. Spots on the trunks or branches injured by gum diseases must be cleaned out and treated. The tree should then be fertilized treating it for the two or three seasons following as though the tree was a young tree. All efforts should be centered on bringing the trees back into good vigorous growth. As the tree is going into the winter season, I would wait until next spring. - Millet
Dear Millet. We are SO grateful for your reply. This tree has a special place in our garden and has a unique appearance, which is the second reason we would like to keep it alive. It has done a little better since we've arrived and we have had one 'sweet' crop. We are VERY inexperienced it such matters, so will see if we can find a special someone to cut it back, for we don't trust our 'mow and blow' gardener. Again, thank you for taking the time to respond to our plea. Kind regards, Ricki & Petter Svenkerud Laguna Niguel, CA
i agree with what millet said but you should have time to do a few air layers on a few branches that are about marker sized. that way if when it is trimed next spring it does not bounce back. it can go either way. depending on wheather conditions in the spring time.not sure how tangirenes do on thier own rootstocks things like pomello and almeon tangelo do really good on there own roots. but would keep the tangerines in pots. at least you could still have a few plants that would produce some fruit. hopefully mother nature cooperates for you next spring and it all goes well when you trim it or have it trimmed.
Dear Mike. Thank you for your reply. It certainly helps to know there is an agreement, yet a little twist, to the first suggestion. Our sincerest appreciation, Rick Svenkerud
Sometime contact your Orange County Cooperative Extension and see if you can have someone like a Master Gardener or a Farm Advisor come out and look at your tree and/or learn who they would recommend for a certified ISA arborist that has some knowledge of Citrus to come in and give your tree a thorough clean up. Orange County Extension Office Home Page I suggest you hire a professional to come in and do the work. I think Millet gave you a solid idea for what needs to be done here to limit any lingering branch disease as well as what to do to sustain new growth after you have this tree cleaned up. I like some of the older trees when they branch and extend outwards and show some character in a home landscape but in this case this tree has some issues that not been addressed for some time. Rejuvenation of an old tree can be a pleasant experience, call it perpetuating the tree to last another 30-50 years or so if done right and carried out before the tree goes into a serious decline that it may not grow out of or recover from. The so-called water sprouts as they are called for several Fruit and Nut trees can be a blessing in disguise for Citrus when we are forced to severely prune back the tree as we may need those younger shoots to fall back on to sustain growth for during the period of rejuvenation. Another thing to mention is that when some of these young shoots get more light after a major pruning they can grow like a weed for a short while in some cases. That is okay as you will want to work with the tree to better shape it for a few years anyway. The topping and drastic cutting of the tree should allow for vigor to be retained back into the plant later with a little help from cultural care. I'd be much more concerned if I saw wet lesions in the trunk (still active) and main branches of this tree as opposed to old branch cankers that have dried. Internal gum disease issues can be minimized with proper care after the deadened wood has been removed and the remaining wood has been painted with a white latex paint to limit further fissures and cracking in the saved wood. Jim
Dear Jim. WOW, you've provided information on the trees health condition, which is greatly appreciated; not to mention a contact number and advice for a local organization...thank you! I will contact this company today with hopes they have someone to help us. It has an interesting shape and the bird life would be happy to have protection from a full tree; a bird feeder hangs from it, as it is the focal part of the garden. It does get a lot of bird feces, I hope that hasn't contributed to it's illness. With GREAT appreciation, Ricki Svenkerud
Another reason to contact a professional is that we do not know if your tree was grown from seed or grafted. If grafted and is cut below the graft line you are left with nothing but rootstock.
