Orange tree questions

Luttrell starts with ...
I have a question about orange trees....it may sound silly but this is my first experience with them.....Our tree is full of "green" oranges but they only seem to turn orange when they fall off of the tree and it the ground can anyone tell me what may cause this? And also some of them are spliting open while on the tree....what may cause this?

KEITH HIGINS says...
I have a mature orange tree that bears little or no fruit,I have tried pruning it back but to no avail. Some of the leaves are a bit curly too,otherwise it looks really healthy.

Jimmy says...
Irregular watering, they swell, split and fall off.

Brendan says...
Hi tony,
Spread some Epsom Salts around under the drip-line, 1 handful per sq metre.(sorry amanda:). That will sweeten them.
I'd give it a very small amount of Boron too. That will make them less dry and juicy.

To speed things up, mix 30g epsom salts to 4½ litres of water, with a wetting agent, and spray the whole tree twice weekly. Again, the wetting agent is the key.

Asilkicmada says...
Hi...
Our Orange trees are laden with fruit, however like tony they are very sour, when can you apply the Epson salts? Will it help this seasons fruit on the trees or just next season. What is better spraying or under the drip line?
Lisa

MaryT says...
Sour oranges will make good marmalade, also you can substitute its juice for lemon/lime. Particularly good with fish.

Also, the purpose of a wetting agent (such as detergent) is not to wet, but to help the spray SPREAD AND STICK to the plant. I'd say it sounds Chinese except I'm Chinese and can't figure this out.:) Anyway, the bottom line is, rain will not do :)

John Mc says...
Mary T means adding a soap to your sprayer like dishwashing detergent. I use a purpose made agriculture wetting agent purchased from a chemical supplier. I add around 10ml to the litre.

amanda says...
Hey Mike - are you going to put up a My Edibles soon? Would love to see your trees!?

amanda says...
Asilkicmada - you should be fine where u are. What type of orange is it...a navel?

Make sure it gets some potassium (potash) with the magnesium - and good load of manure. A lack of potash can affect fruit flavour a great deal.

amanda says...
Hmmn Asilicmada - are you confused now? If you apply a good manure your tree it will get many trace elements from this in a nice yummy form that trees like...hot aerobic compost (made in a tumbler and with diverse ingredients) is a gold star fertiliser - but not everyone has access to this.
I use dymanic lifter a lot - it's also slow release. I use manure - lots. Potash - about a matchbox full only per tree every few months (or when I can be bothered... ;) I use some other things that are needed specifically for my soil - but that will be too much info...

I have 5 oranges, mandies, tangello etc and they are never sour and loaded every season. This is a pic of my west Indian lime - they are juicy and gorgeous :)

Mike - that's too much info for some folk who are looking for simple solutions to start with maybe..? :)

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

amanda says...
Yea - it's like a xmas tree :) Can't give them away so I guess it's off to the compost bin for them - they have been hanging there for ages :-( It will fruit sporadically all year with new flushes of growth - but as u can see it needs a serious prune and re-working.

Too warm there for the tangello and navel to develop flavour u think? Mine are very sweet and everybody likes them - except I prefer a bit 'tang' myself. It's fairly mediterranean here - but shift the average temps up a bit. Maybe that's why mine are missing that tang I like also.
Ah well - I guess you can't have everything/a perfect climate - for everything!?

Wayne says...
My Tangello is just about done Amanda, you are right about the "tang" but with the cooler nights it's sweetening.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
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Mike says...
Maybe you can do better than me with them Wayne but minneola were mature well before winter.700km must make a difference.Do you have other citrus that get a good tang?

Asilkicmada says...
Hey Guy's...
It's a washington navel, will post some pictures tomorrow.

I always use Dynamic Lifter.

Two seasons ago the fruit was some of the best I've ever had (in my life). Delicious and Juicy.
This year they are definitely juicy, but eye twitchingly sour. Such a shame considering the amount of fruit on the trees. I know I can sweeten the oranges once juiced, but I was wondering what magic occurred two seasons ago. Whether or not I can achieve this fantastic result again would also be nice to know.

amanda says...
Hey Jantina - I found a method for using my pressure cooker to make home made essential oils.... a use for all those limes now! :-)

amanda says...
Yup Julie - here it is. I was really happy cos 1) it's about $400 for a "proper" steam distiller and 2) I have a brand new you-beaut Scanpan pressure cooker that's not been used in 2yrs..!? (ah - the younger generation hey.. :)

http://aromatherapy.bellevuemassagetherapy.com/2009/08/how-to-make-essential-oils.html

Donna B says...
I have a lot of navel oranges nearly ripe that are splitting. If I turn all reticulation off to them now would that prevent further splitting.