Don't worry about the flowers, Rob. Citrus will always set more fruit than it can support, so you'll see fruit drop usually at the bee-bee size, and then, again, and about golf ball size. If you pinch back the flowers, you'll just promote more flowers. Leave the tree alone. Watch to see how much fruit actually sets past golf ball, and then remove enough that the canopy can support the few fruits for the first year or maybe two. That your tree has new flush tells me that it will probably have enough leaf canopy to support fruit. Remember, this is not the tree's "first year". Your tree no doubt is at least 2 to 3 years old. It helps to post photos, so it you can post up a few photos of your tree, better to advise you. Patty S.

Lizzy, post the HTML code, not the URL. That will put your photo right into the body of your message. You'll know if it works when you preview your message. Your photo will show right up in your message :-) Just float your mouse over the photo and the "Share:Edit:Delete:Move" window pops up. Left click once in the HTML code window, and that code will then get copied to your Windows clipboard. Now all you need to do is right click in your message and select "Paste". Your HTML code for the photo will then be pasted into your message. And Lizzy, to respond to your soil, which you mentioned is mainly DG: So is mine. Adding amendments to DG will not help. You're MUCH better off adding a good layer of compost as I mentioned to the tree wells. It is not recommended to amend soil for trees. Your tree needs to learn to live in your soil. And the way nature takes care of this is by organic materials building up on the soil surface, then slowly being broken down my soil microbes creating a rich layer of organic material on top of the soil (i.e., topsoil). You can speed this up by adding compost 3 to 4" deep in your wells. Fertilize. Then top with wood chips to help retain soil moisture for us in drier climates. You don't mention where you live, but I'm assuming it's either S. California or Arizona where DG soils are common. You can add your location and your Sunset zone to your GW User Name (see mine). Very helpful to know, as we have forum members from all around the world. Many of the Citrus Forum members only grow their citrus in containers due to their winter weather. And for our Citrus Forum members, I had asked Lizzy to post over here. Here was my previous advice to her from the Orchards Forum: Okay, applenut is correct, never amend your soil. You just create a hole the tree will love to live in, and the roots will be less inclined to venture out. Instead, you should dig a hole about 2 to 3 times as wide as the root ball to loosen up your native soil. Plant the tree at the same height it was in, in the pot. Create a nice large well around the tree, with the perimeter of the well lower than the height of the trunk (so water will drain away from the trunk, and to the feeder roots which are at the edge of the canopy and a little beyond. What is known as the "drip line".) Mulch 2 to 4" deep with compost, then top with wood chips to help maintain moisture. If you're on clay soil, you're much better off building raised beds (a whole different topic). Wait to fertilize for a couple of months, until the feeder roots are established, then fertilize about every 2 months from Feb/March through Oct/Nov with a good citrus fertilizer that also contains micronutrients (Grow More Citrus & Avocado food is an excellent product). Don't worry about adjusting the pH. Not necessary here in S. California. NEVER allow overhead sprinklers to water your citrus trees as you currently are doing. They do not like their trunks wet, and this is a sure way to kill a young citrus tree, fast. Instead, use microsprinklers or 2 to 4 drips to fill the well (with young trees, they only need one or two drips, but lay 4 and turn them on as your tree grows, as well as move them out and away from the trunk to follow the canopy edge). Water well enough so that the soil is moist for about 12 to 18" deep. The philosophy of deep watering has been revamped for citrus. Citrus are shallow rooted trees, so if you're watering 2 to 3 feet down, you're just wasting water. The easy way to know - use a rod (I use one of those cheap green plastic covered metal plant stakes you can get at Home Depot/Lowes). If you can easily insert the stake 12 to 18" down, your soil is moist enough. You may also need to apply a micronutrient foliar application, soil drench or micronutrient granular application in the early spring/late winter, as our S. California soils tend to get depleted, and our colder winter rains can lock out the absorption of micronutrients, which will cause your leaves to look chloritic. It's usually not iron deficiency for most folks in S. Calif, but manganese deficiency. You can use Grow Power Citrus Grower's Blend, which is a water-soluble micronutrient product that can be sprayed on the leaves or poured into the soil. Here is a good resource for you to manage your citrus. I agree with applenut, your trees may be too wet. Check the soil and see. If so, turn off your sprinklers, then pull them out, and set microsprinklers or drips. Once established, a once a week watering is probably fine except during our very hot days in the summer, when you'll need to check and make sure your trees don't get too dry. They first symptom of being too dry will be cupped leaves. This is actually how commercial growers know to water their orchards. And, bookmark this site: http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/Fruits_&_Nuts/Citrus/ This is the UC Davis Backyard Orchard-Citrus page. Very helpful for us here in California. Lastly, you're probably better off posting this sort of question either on the Citrus Forum or on the California Gardening Forum. Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: Four Winds Growers: How to Grow Citrus in the Ground

citrus leaf miner, get some spinosad, usually Lowes has it Greenlight, they have two different bottles, look at the active ingredient, one has spinosad and the other has something else. clear away the grass within a 2-3' radius, but dont dig b/c the tree will have surface feeder roots. i would mow at a very low setting and put a thick layer of mulch. citrus are heavy feeders and need a high N fertilzer something like a 3-1-1 or 9-3-3, as long as the first number (N) is higher than the other numbers. and make sure it includes micronutrients. prune off dead branches. they will be leafless, grayish or yellow/brown colored. not sure about the last two pics. This post was edited by houstontexas123 on Mon, Mar 25, 13 at 20:03

"Mulching is not the SOLUTION". AS everyone is pointing out, until you get the watering needs of that tree correctly, mulch will kill your tree. If you don't water deeply, the surface roots will only grab moisture from the top layer of mulch making your roots even more shallower, and you will still be depriving the lower roots of water since now you will have to add even more water until it goes through the mulch into the lower roots...Water deeply..If you put an inch of mulch, even more deeply and so on. A good way to prevent having to stand there for hours until the water reaches the soil under the mulch, is by using a soaker hose placed directly under the mulch.If I were you, until you have access to something you could use to help you, or the ability to know how deep you need to water is to make your trees thrive, I would not use a heavy layer of mulch, but I thin one to help the top from drying out and that will allow you to water deeply more rapidly. I was a landscaper for years and take care of many trees, and even here, unless you water your trees deeply, through the mulch, your tree will die of thirst.