Sharon, is your Orange in the ground or a pot? Toni

also what kind of orange and what age is it?

good questions above. Also it is normal for some (not all) fruit to drop, usually when the fruit is about pea size or a little larger.

Thank all of you for your input, I'll try to answer in order. Toni, the tree is in the ground, it's a navel orange, and it's about 3 years old. I'm just wondering if maybe it's getting to much water? Thanks again

Sharon, did you get any fruit at all last year? Or did all drop?
I'd think, if too much or too little water, leaves would discolor. Are leaves yellowing? Browning?
3 years is still a young tree, but you should get fruit. What about fertilizer? And is it in a sunny location? Citrus need sun not only for foliage, but to develop fruit.
It's true, if citrus is overwatered, fruit will drop starting at pea-size stage. After a thorough watering, let soil dry between. Refrain from pruning. It's common for citrus to lose fruit, but 2-4% should remain. Toni

Toni, Thanks you so much for your inputd, it was very enlighting and helpful. We did not get any fruit last year at all, this is starting the 3rd year in the ground. It gets a lot of sun, & yes we fertilize about every 2 moths. The fruit is pea size now, so I think we'll refrain from watering it so much and see what happens. Again thank you so much

My tree is over 10 years old, the oranges are yellow and 2 to 3 inches in diameter and now are falling off the tree. Same thing the last few years.

Sharon, how often and how much are you watering? Usually, fruit drop is due to not enough water, but it can also be due to roots being waterlogged. A certain amount of fruit drop is normal, especially in such a young tree. Citrus will set way more fruit than they can take to maturity, so at about pea size, you'll see the first significant drop. You'll see a secondary drop a little later, at about golf ball size stage. A 3 year old tree will not/should not keep too much fruit, as it's really trying to get itself established. I will keep a few (as in 2 to 5) fruit just for fun, but let the rest drop on a tree 2 to 4 years of age. After that, it should be able to produce a decent, but smallish crop of fruit. You should be deep watering 2 times a week, if you're not getting supplemental rainfall, and are having high temps. Also, really high temps can make fruit drop, as photosynthesis will slow way down. You should also be fertilizing at least 4 times a year, and as often as every 2 months for young'uns. You'll want a high nitrogen fertilizer formulated for citrus, with micronutrients, and on occasion, water in with acidified water if you're in an area with alkaline soils. And, lots of sunshine, with some afternoon shade would be what you're after for your citrus trees.

And George, if you left your previous crop on the tree too long, when your mandarin began blooming, again, you can force your tree into an alternate bearing cycle, so pick your fruit when it's ripe. this may be the cause of your fruit drop. Again, some fruit drop is normal, so watch to see how much drops. If it is everything, it could be due to leaving fruit on too long, or due to under or over watering.

Patty S.

we lost nearly all of our oranges too last crop/ they ripened too early and fell off. the tree is about 20 years old and normally is a big producer of perfect oranges. I wonder if I may have over pruned it last year and maybe it got too much water. we live on the gold coast in queensland and usually get spring rain. i had to water as we didnt get the usual spring rain. usually the tree only gets fed in winter with a citrus food of some sort. last year i used dynamic lifter citrus food. And it looks like everyone is having the same problems with all citrus trees on the gold coast this year and did last year also. Would anyone know why please?

I live near the Sunshine Coast and have the same problem with my Valencia orange over the last 3 years 1 orange last year 6 the year before and 24 the year before This year I can only see about 4 but don't hold any hopes of them staying on the tree either

I'm having the same problem with my tree.I don't know how old my tree is but this is the second year its been in the ground. I turned the water up because its already getting hot here in Indio California. The tree look healthy and the leives look really good. I understand there Will be a little drop because I know there is no way the little tree can bear as much fruit as it's making. Just hoping it makes a little fruit this year

Marty, 2nd year in the ground = very young tree; don't expect much if any fruit. Of course, variety, hydration, heat/cold and nutrient conditions and age at planting all have an effect.

I try and cut or remove all except 2-5 fruit from my trees under 5 yrs in the ground. I say "try" because the tree always seems to sneak a few i don't see. This way, i keep the tree spending energy on structure and growth. I know the fruit will follow. - George

From birdsnblooms .....

"A certain amount of fruit drop is normal, especially in such a young
tree. Citrus will set way more fruit than they can take to maturity, so
at about pea size, you'll see the first significant drop. You'll see a
secondary drop a little later, at about golf ball size stage."

Perfect! I was concerned about my tree but you just answered my concerns. My tree is only two years in the ground (Valencia Oranges). I live in west central Florida. When my tree blossomed there were about 36 (or more) blossoms that turned into little oranges. Most fell off by the time they were pea size. Only 5 were left. They are no about golf ball size and this morning I noticed one more had fallen off. At first I thought maybe the squirrels or birds were causing it. But now I know the real reason. Thank you.

I am planning to start pulling excess fruit off my trees over the next couple of weeks. I am still pushing to larger trees as opposed to fruit. Although most have been in the ground 4-6 years, freezes in 2012/2013 have set back their growth a few years. I am trying to get these 4 -8 footers to double in height this year.

BTW: Most of the fruit is about pea size or smaller, but there are a couple of exceptions. The Cocktail fruits seemed to double in size overnight as we've had our first real heat wave here in NorCal. I noticed too that the leaves have greened up significantly - i am thinking that the roots/ soil have warmed up to a temperature that they can absorb nutrients.

John, I'd have to think that you are vigilant about the ACP and HLB in your area so your fruit trimming / timing needs may be different. I just hope that i can have 3-5 years of medium yields before those bugs get to my locale.

- George

What is ACP & HLB? So far the only bugs I had to deal with are the four legged kind (deer) but I fixed them, I put a 7' tall chicken wire barrier around the tree. I've ha the same issue with some of the flowers I planted to attract butterflies & humming birds but I finally found flowers that the deer wouldn't eat but still attract the butterflies & hummingbirds.

Do a search on those acronyms and Asian Citrus Psyllid / Citrus Greening . Not pretty.

Ok, I have another question regarding orange trees. Do only sour orange trees have thorns?

Most citrus has thorns and they can be present on some branches, others not. The theory I've heard is that its to hinder things from eating the (young) foliage.

Awesome, I was hoping that was the case. My tree does have thorns but not on all branches. I bought my tree as a Valencia, but someone told me that since it had thorns it was probably sour.

yes my tree is also doing the same thing. I have a Valencia orange tree it is probably about 10 years old. thank you any advice would be great

George,

Post photos and tell us how you are treating your tree. I a tree is under fed it will drop many/most/all fruit.

In two drops, I lost all my Valencias but three. The three that are left remained through Tropical Storm Colin, so I think they are there for the duration. Tree is only a couple years old.

Blood orange trees usually don't have any fruit till the eight year. This year the 2 or3 inch size green fruit is dropping.. I read and one reason could be too much water thanks for the info.

What are Blood Oranges? My Valencia tree has kept the last three oranges since the last major drop back in May. I believe they have almost reached maturity as they are beginning to turn color. Hopefully this is a sign that next year's crop will be larger.

I live in Southwest Georgia and two years ago I planted a meyer lemon. This year it bloomed at the same time as my other citrus trees. To make a long story short, even though all my other trees are satsumas I found out at first by accident, then by research, that cross pollination will help set fruit and keeps the fruit drop down. I literally have more fruit than I know what to do with this year. My Brown Select tree has a good bushel if not more of fruit on it ripening now, and my owari trees look the same. The one down side is that I have a seed or two in my satsumas which normally don't have seeds, but my crop is literally multiples of 10s more than my best year previously. My satsumas range in age from three to six years old and they all are loaded with fruit and I did not have any real fruit drop this year like I always did in the past. My meyer is only two years old and loaded also with no fruit drop.

Sounds like a bumper crop, be careful, it can make your trees alternate bearing if they hold too much fruit during a single season.

Evan