Author Topic: Cocktail tree - lemon & lime instant success, no leaf/stem growth of orange  (Read 2182 times)

derekcentrico

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I'm entirely new to fruit trees.  I wanted to have all of the fruits listed on this cocktail tree, so I bought one.  I planted it in early November.

The tree contains meyer lemons, persian limes, ruby red grapefruit, and navel orange.

At any rate, we have a number of lemons and limes growing.  The lemon branch is flowering again.

The grapefruit branch is growing at a rapid rate with more leaves and branches shooting out.

However, the orange branch has had zero change.  The leaves are still dark green like at the date of purchase.  But, there are zero new leaves or signs of any growth that I can tell.

Any thoughts on this?

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jcaldeira

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Different growth rates on a cocktail citrus tree is normal.  There are different degrees of compatibility with the rootstock, each variety of citrus has its own growth rate, and the success of each graft may differ.   

Consider giving it another year without interfering.  If the orange branch growth is still retarded, you can graft another orange onto one of the other branches to balance it. 
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derekcentrico

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Allrighty.  Should I expect to see more growth potential in the spring and summer months down here in South Florida?  I'm wondering if this just isn't the right time for the orange to show its growth potential anyway...

FrankDrebinOfFruits

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You can try to give the orange a little boost with a foliar spray.

jcaldeira

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Allrighty.  Should I expect to see more growth potential in the spring and summer months down here in South Florida?  I'm wondering if this just isn't the right time for the orange to show its growth potential anyway...

Individual branches on citrus can experience growth flushes at different times.   I don't know whether navel orange would show its strength during the summer.

Eventually you are likely to find some branches on your cocktail tree will naturally grow faster than others, making it unbalanced unless you prune and re-graft occasionally.
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derekcentrico

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You can try to give the orange a little boost with a foliar spray.

Any recommendation on a brand or mixture?



Individual branches on citrus can experience growth flushes at different times.   I don't know whether navel orange would show its strength during the summer.

Eventually you are likely to find some branches on your cocktail tree will naturally grow faster than others, making it unbalanced unless you prune and re-graft occasionally.

I hope this isn't for a couple of years before pruning and re-grafting is required?  That will be a lot of learning to do.  I hear pruning can really screw up a tree. 

Grafting is something that sounds fun, but I may need to get some small seedlings to practice on first.

FrankDrebinOfFruits

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Any recommendation on a brand or mixture?


I have been using kelp extract from my local home improvement store. The bottle has directions for dilution, for me its 2tbsp / gallon. Give them a nice spray at dusk. I saw some people doing it once a month. Been doing it for 2 months, and all the trees love it.