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Navel orange tree dropping fruits

9 years ago

I have a Navel orange tree in the side yard (West facing) that I planted almost 2 years ago. It didn't bear any fruit last year. This year it's bore fruit, but the oranges drop off before they have a chance to ripen. I water the tree about once a week. Would appreciate any pointers to rectify the situation. Thanks.

This post was edited by bitmaster20 on Wed, Jun 11, 14 at 12:54

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Comments (6)

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
9 years ago
Well, it's pretty chlorotic. First off, where do you live? Watering once a week may or may not be enough or too much, depending on your rainfall. And, you don't mention if you're fertilizing, but clearly, your tree needs to be fertilized. Not enough nutrients, or root compromise can cause fruit drop. It would help to have a full photo of your tree, as well. It looks like there could be some competition from surrounding plants/lawn for nutrients, so if you have plants under the tree, or grass, it needs to be removed.

Patty S.
bitmaster20
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the response hoosierquilt. I live in Orange County, California.

Regarding fertilizer, I have used Vigoro Citrust & Avocado Plant food.

There's a guava tree that's a few feet away on one side and a Ivy gourd trellis on the other.

The attached picture might give a better idea. The guava tree is in the foreground. The orange tree behind it. The ivy gourd to the right and a Jambul tree all the way in the back.

This post was edited by bitmaster20 on Wed, Jun 11, 14 at 12:54
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Mine does the same thing. Navels are more susceptible to fruit drop at a young age. Most of the time it is from over/under watering. Also, it might just be that your tree is too young and not ready to hold the fruit. Last year I got 2 oranges on my navel. I over watered ALOT. Also, it was surrounded by grass. I fixed all the problems and this year there is only one orange on the tree. I think when the tree is ready it will hold more fruit. The tree is only 2-3 years old and very small. Navels are known to do this at young age. Without pics we cannot tell if it from a disease but from what you describe, I doubt it. Just be patient:-) I know waiting for yummy oranges sucks but eventually it will pay off!
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bitmaster20
Original Author
9 years ago
More pictures:

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hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
9 years ago
Okay, not so bad. How much are you watering the tree, and how deeply? How frequently are you fertilizing? How much sun is it receiving daily?

Patty S.
bitmaster20
Original Author
9 years ago
I water it about once a week. I haven't been too regular with the fertilizer. The area gets about 6 hours of direct sun.

Regarding watering, how do you measure how deeply something is watered? Thanks.
hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
9 years ago
18 to 24 inches - the depth of the feeder roots for citrus. Any deeper than that is just a waste of our precious and costly water.

Patty S.

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