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Arizona Gardening

Navel Orange split

8 years ago

My 12 year old navel orange tree has quite a few split oranges this year. And the Naval on each orange is quite a bit larger than in the past Watering has not changed... I put fresh homemade compost last month but that's something I do every year also Once a week I deep irrigate by hand. Except for that added rain we've had recently. Is this tree showing age or should I cut back on watering.

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Comments (3)

campv 8b AZ
8 years ago
Splitting for citrus is usually over watering. Are you in Cal or AZ either way, we have a lot of rain + watering Hum
calb_gardner
Original Author
8 years ago
I'm in az nw glendale. I'll have to watch the water more carefully ... Darn !! What a waste!
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I have a Washington navel tree and had around 5-6 fruits this year. It's a young tree. Those were the most delicious navels I have had in quite a while. If I find another Washington at my local Lowes or Home Depot, it's coming home with me.
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Certain citrus are more prone to splitting, navel oranges, Cara Cara (pink navel orange), Page mandarin hybrid to name a few. It is mostly due to uneven watering practices. Some of which are Mother Nature induced, and not a lot you can do about it. As your tree matures, it will be less likely to happen. Patty S. Here is a link that might be useful: UC Home Orchard: Navel Orange Split
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The only thing I can think of from keeping any fruit from splitting is to keep the soil moist. In most instances, if you let the soil dry out too much and then water, the plant absorbs the water so fast the fruits of the plant cannot handle it. I have seen this done with my tomatoes, figs and cherry trees in the past. I had to google this pest and it seems to be something new in south Florida as I have never heard of it. I get the average whitefly on my trees in the spring and fall or whenever I get new growth. I use malathion and it does a good job until I get another really bad infestation. I don't know where you live so I cannot recommend anything.
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aztreelvr
8 years ago
From September through November splitting in navel oranges often occurs in green fruit. It's attributed to the rind not being able to expand when the fruit is filling with moisture and the rinds burst open due to the pressure. Rinds that are sunburned or have lost their elasticity are more apt to split. The number of fruit affected seems to vary from year to year. Fruit on the south or west sides of the tree may be more vulnerable due to sun exposure. Splitting seems to be related to extreme fluctuations in temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and even fertilizer levels. Regular, deep irrigations are a good practice as is using a 3 inch layer of mulch over the root zone. Here's a link to irrigating citrus, fertilizing, etc. http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/pubs.htm
calb_gardner thanked aztreelvr

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