The Tropical Fruit Forum
Citrus => Citrus General Discussion => Topic started by: edweather on January 03, 2019, 08:50:02 PM
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Trying to gauge when to foliar feed our Hamlin orange tree. We live in extreme SE Georgia, Camden County, Z9a. This is our third year with it, but forgot when it bloomed last year. Am guessing in early March, but not sure. Thanks. Ed
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If your going to foliar feed with low biuret urea, the first spray should be made 1-1/2 to 2 months prior to expected bloom. Therefore, about now is the proper time for citrus trees that will bloom in early March bloom,.
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Thanks. That's about what I was thinking, but wasn't sure about the bloom timing. We still have fruit on the tree, so am assuming that we need to pick it before feeding. I purchased the low biuret urea and sticker recommended in your thread on foliar feeding citrus. My wife was hoping that if we leave the fruit on longer, they will get riper and sweeter. Imo, they are as ripe and sweet as they will get. We had a wet year, so was thinking the additional water affected the sugar content this year, but not sure. They are not quite as sweet as last year. If I leave my blackberries on until the last minute, they get sweeter.
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The continued heat during the summer months is what produces the sweetness in citrus fruits. Leaving the fruit hang on the tree longer during the winters months would not add much, or perhaps no extra sweetness to the fruit.
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Millet, theres articles out there saying the winter chill is what makes citrus sweet. I really have no idea. Is that not accurate?
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Spaugh, please post the articles that say cold produces sweetness in citrus, I would be very interested. I've never seen anything, nor have ever read anything concerning cold weather inducing sweetness. Everything I have ever read is that it is heat that indeed produces sugars in citrus.
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You can google "cold makes citrus sweet" theres lots of articles.
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Spaugh, what really occurs in citrus fruit is that cold weather reduces the acid content of the fruit, which could make a fruit seem to have more sweetness (although the amount of sugars actually says the same). It is the balance (ratio) between the fruit's acid and the sugar content that provides the quality to citrus. A fruit with little or no acid content is called insipid.
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That makes sense.