Need help determining health of citrus and fruit trees
cmcgin202
2 years ago
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Fori
2 years agoCA Kate z9
2 years agoRelated Discussions
how do I determine health of pear, peach, walnut trees?
Comments (8)I agree with marknmt. Full sized trees are much harder to maintain, and trees on dwarfing rootstock should be fruiting in a few years. Peach trees will start producing after just a couple of years but pears can take longer. Also, peach trees are not long-lived. Here is a quote from Dave Griffin: "Don't plant a peach tree thinking that at some time in the distant future, grandchildren at your side, you will be able to look back and fondly recall this day. Plant peaches like you do tomatoes expecting their demise and planning for their replacement. Even in ideal climates and conditions peaches are not an icon for longevity and for sure they are not going to be when you plant them on the fringes of their range and beyond." Most pears are not self-fertile so you will need to have another nearby to pollinate it. Even if the tree has produced recently there is no guarantee that it will continue to. My grandfather's pear tree produced for many years but then it's pollinator must have been removed. I tried my hand at grafting to it but in the end had to buy a tree to plant near it. I believe that walnuts also need cross-pollination and some peach trees do also. I don't know how long a walnut takes to begin production so this is an issue for someone with experience. I have actually looked at my back yard orchard as a detriment to resale; most people don't want the work involved. Find a house you love with a price you love then choose your own fruit trees if you desire....See MoreHelp with Citrus trees, large but no fruit ever
Comments (1)jm young citrus trees need to be watered as well as established ones.Your trees are planted outside in a warm climate and need to be watered weekly.And they need to be on a feed schedule as well.Also you need to look for ROOTSUCKERS, these pesky branches need to be removed.This is usually the common problem for no fruit or little fruit production. Suzanne...See MoreOld fruit and very few leaves on citrus tree
Comments (6)Debbra, first off, if you can post photos, it really does help us to better help you. Without photos, I would say to first, clear our the ice plant. As Greg has mentioned, it is competing for water and nutrients with your poor citrus tree. Next, make sure the watering situation is fixed. Your trees should be on a drip or micro-drip system. Again, as Greg mentioned, do not allow your sprinklers to hit the trunks of any of your citrus trees. It encourages rot. Next, make sure you've got a nice well formed around your citrus trees at or somewhat beyond the tree canopy. That's where your feeder roots reside for your trees. That way, the water can collect and seep down to the feeder roots. Mulch your wells, keeping the mulch away from the trunk (again, to prevent moisture from collecting and causing rot). Next, fertilize your poor tree with a good quality citrus fertilizer. Fertilize again in 4 weeks, and then put down a 3rd application in another 4 weeks. Water the fertilizer in well, and never apply fertilizer to a dry tree. Remove all the fruit, let the tree put it's energies into re-developing a canopy. Don't prune anything until you see leave flush, and can clearly determine dead from living branches. Then, prune away all the dead branches, making sure not to leave stubs of branches, nor prune so closely that you prune into the branch collar (the flare right where the branch connects into the trunk). Citrus trees require little pruning. Just removing dead wood mainly from the interior of a mature tree, or some very minor pruning for shape. Remember, citrus are tip fruiting trees, so if you over-prune, you're not going to end up with any fruit :-) And, I don't recommend going over to the Orchards Forum, you're much better off on the Citrus Forum for citrus questions (you'll get sent here if you post there about citrus.) And, you can see how I have my zones for California. USDA zones are basically worthless here in California due to all our micro-climates. I differentiate between the two, since there are certainly other folks on the Citrus forum who reside in other states, so that helps them to better understand my climate in general. But, there must be 10 Sunset zones within the USDA zone 10 here in California! Patty S....See MoreNeed help with sick looking fruit/citrus trees.
Comments (6)Peach and citrus respond very well to compost teas and micro-nutrients. I would strongly suggest using a compost tea that provides both. You can easily research how to do this on your own or find a commercial tea. If you buy a tea you need to brew it I would not suggest any pre-made teas and really look at the ingredients. Believe me there are some really good teas out there but most are honestly just worm castings with one or two feed sources, which you could easily buy yourself. This is a photo of my sick peach tree. I planted this in very late spring and had bought it bare root. While it may not look like it I have been battling a serious fungus all summer. The key to this trees success has been keeping it healthy. I did this with compost tea and worm castings....See MoreDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
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