Here is a bit of an update on my on highly pruned trees. I have 4 sweeet cherries, all pruned to less than 7 ft tall, all started as whips 4 or 5 years ago. Last year they bloomed but no fruit due to a late frost. Here are photos with 2 of those trees now, one is blooming well and the other is almost open. The others are either blooming or almost blooming. I also have several apples, a pear, and figs, which have been pruned with a similar philosophy, but it's too early to post photos from this year's flowers or fruits. The apples and pear look like they'll also have lots of flowers. Maybe it does work. We'll see. Since there are lots of flowers now, maybe there will be lots of cherries this summer. There is still some room for more growth, I can let them get to 7 or 8 foot without a problem, but plan to continue the somewhat drastic summer pruning as we have done so far. These were from a big box store and it did not state what rootstock, other than 'semi dwarf'. I did not use to multi-trees per hole method because I was not aware of it at the time, but otherwise am doing the summer pruning as described for backyard orchard culture.

What Michael said. I agree with your observations re. fruit (& the same is true of herbs). Drought years, while they may reduce production, often result in extremely fine fruit with the concentration of sugars in the fruit. Very noticeable in peaches here. Conversely, when we have heavy rains while blackberries are setting, the fruit is noticeably more watery tasting. But rose fragrance isn't related to sugars but to aromatic molecules & conditions that allow them to be expressed (petal substance--heavier waxier petals--less fragrance). Re. roses, fragrance is most noticeable & carries in the air farthest in warm humid conditions. To maximize expression of fragrant blooms I'd push overall plant health, keep them watered well, especially during bloom flushes & select varieties that are most known for fragrance. That varies as much as peoples' sense of smell does, but if you read various sources, some plants are universally acclaimed for fragrance (like Chrysler Imperial). And commercial production of rose attar utilizes damask roses. This post was edited by bluegirl on Thu, May 16, 13 at 16:37

Well, that's because I don't think anyone in the commercial citrus growing industry has actually conducted those experiments, or if they have, they're still in the works (as alluded to in that document). A good sugar/acid ratio is important in the citrus industry, but it's not just brix. There's the dance between sugar and acid. And, it is really different from country to country. We tend to like our citrus a bit more sprightly that Japan, but not as much as some countries in Eurpoe. Yield obviously is critical as is the size of each fruit. And they can adjust to a point, but need a LOT of water, Steve. I water my citrus A LOT compared to my drought tolerant California and Australian natives I have growing on the same slope. They have to be on different drip stations because of that. Folks in Phoenix on sand will water even more than I do. They will die if they get too thirsty. Younger trees are much more sensitive than older trees. Citrus are tough, but require much more water than my stone fruits do. Same with my avos. Check with your Texas Coop Extension folks. They are really super, you have great citrus ag resources in your state. And, I would say, as a Master Gardener, and dealing with home citrus questions, I would actually say the majority of issues with citrus are due to over watering and "too much love", than under watering. Both issues pop up, but mostly folks tend to overdo it, and citrus don't like waterlogged situations (clay soil, poor drainage). Avocados even less so. Patty S.

Techno, amcloud suggested lowering the water to force the plants to send the roots deep in search for nutrients. The bubbling action inside the reservoir was enough to keep the net pot wet, and I did not see any leaves drooping before the roots went deep. They are over 2 feet now in just a couple days since my last post. That was great advice and it may serve you as well. Thanks again AMCLOUD. Here is the video I created today, posted to my youtube channel and posted to the blog along with comments. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOZbzFUwdMA&feature=feedu[/url] You can see the DWC roots and some of my notes on the current lettuce grow in the second half of the vid. It has been a really good grow so far. I use store bought nutes that cover all the micro and macro nutes, and doesn't require "ripe" or "bloom" because the lettuce doesn't need it. I may switch to powder in the future to save money, but I have used so little nutes for these grows that the gallon may last a couple years. Good luck with your grow, it is a lot of fun and as another poster said, "very addictive". Here is a link that might be useful: My Hydroponic Video and Photo Journal Blog