Author Topic: Tangerine flowering now  (Read 2369 times)

Lovetoplant

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Tangerine flowering now
« on: October 06, 2020, 01:40:06 AM »
My tangerines (clementines and california honey) are in full bloom for the last two weeks.  What to do?
I did not pick all of the fruits until late June.  Usually they put out flowers in late March.  This March they had very little flowers,  but for the last two weeks they flower very heavy. 

Any Southern California citrus grower run into this situation? 

Should I take all little fruitlets off the trees? 

Thank you, Cham

NOTE:   My navel orange, tango tangerine and  Florida honey tangerine bloomed in March as normal

Cjpflaumer

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2020, 11:01:42 PM »
I am very far from an expert. But I do live in SoCal and my Washington navel just bloomed within the last couple weeks. It was deficient  in probably several things and wasn’t doing great. But I fixed all that and it bloomed right after so I attributed it to the fact it’s now happier. It has a few little fruits growing too but most of them did fall off.

Millet

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2020, 10:57:56 AM »
Off season blooms are more or less common.  The main concern with off season blooms is that the frit is always of low quality.

Lovetoplant

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2020, 03:49:05 PM »
Millet,  your advice to fertilize or foliar feed citrus heavy with N in spring to induce flowers.  During that period, my tangerine fruits are not fully color, but juicy and sweet but not very sweet.   

I did not fertilize during those period  due to what I read on the net.  fertilizing citrus or certain fruit trees with heavy  N before harvest stage will turn fruits sour.  In July,  I fertilized the plants with heavy N and Fe  after picked the rest of the fruits to size up the few marble sizes fruits which bloomed in spring.  It could be the reason they start to flower heavy.



Millet

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2020, 05:53:23 PM »
Lovetoplant,  happy for you and your tree.  By the way, how old is this tree, and is it planted in a container or planted in the ground?

Lovetoplant

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2020, 08:16:26 PM »
California Honey tangerine is in ground for 28 years. It's a semi dwarf with approximately 5 feet tall

The other is Thai kaffir lime tree in the ground for 28 years as well.  I cut it down to 3 feet high and grafted it with Maiwa kumquat, Clementine de nules,  Florida Honey tangerine , and Tango
Approximately 4years ago.

Their both have trunks' diameter of about 4 to 4 1/2 inches.  Seem small for 28 years old, but it's true. 

Should I take all newly set fruitlets off the trees?

Ps. I grew FL honey tangerine from seed 9 years ago and grafted a stick onto my keffir like tree
« Last Edit: October 08, 2020, 01:49:10 AM by Lovetoplant »

containerman

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2020, 02:31:06 PM »
5/15 different varieties of my mandarins have bloomed with small fruit on them for the past month. I'm just letting them do there thing.

Millet

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2020, 04:13:38 PM »
LoveToPland, you can either remove them or let them hang on until maturity.   Off season fruit generally are poorer in quality than on season fruit.

Lovetoplant

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2020, 09:54:29 PM »
Thank you guys,  I will just let them be

Millet

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #9 on: October 09, 2020, 11:19:53 AM »
Among the reasons why off season fruit are poorer in quality than on season fruit, is due to the long period of time from bloom to a mature ready to eat fruit occurs during the period of the year when the days are shorter and darker, plus the weather is colder.  With citrus, warm/hot temperatures produce sugars, cold/darker winters produce acids.

Lovetoplant

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2020, 01:32:02 AM »
Most of my fruitlets are pinhead sizes.  I would guess they will not be ready until next fall.  This will be a weird harvest time for tangerines.  Will let you know. 

Millet you grow your citrus inside the greenhouse? 

Millet

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2020, 02:42:59 PM »
LoveToPlant, because I live in Colorado I grow all my trees inside my greenhouse.  It is a rather large greenhouse, that was originally built by our farm, to produce starts that would later be planted out in  the fields.   In the greenhouse I have 7 large in ground citrus trees of different cultivars, and one large in ground pomegranate tree, plus 15 different varieties of other citrus trees growing in 15 gallon air root pruning containers..  I also grow approximately 50 +- pineapples, plus the usual stuff such as tomatoes etc.

Lovetoplant

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #12 on: October 11, 2020, 01:23:08 PM »
LoveToPlant, because I live in Colorado I grow all my trees inside my greenhouse.  It is a rather large greenhouse, that was originally built by our farm, to produce starts that would later be planted out in  the fields.   In the greenhouse I have 7 large in ground citrus trees of different cultivars, and one large in ground pomegranate tree, plus 15 different varieties of other citrus trees growing in 15 gallon air root pruning containers..  I also grow approximately 50 +- pineapples, plus the usual stuff such as tomatoes etc.
Would love to see the picture of your greenhouse.
How effective are the pruning pots?  Do you leave the plants inside the pots indefinitely or up pot them when needed? 
Did you purchased air root pruner pots or painted inside them with copper hydroxide solution?
« Last Edit: October 11, 2020, 01:26:46 PM by Lovetoplant »

Millet

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2020, 01:44:45 PM »
Trees inside air root pruning containers don't stay in the same pot for ever, but do stay longer than standard nursery containers. The air root pruning containers I use were purchased from Root Maker Company. You can find Root Maker Company on line.

containerman

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #14 on: October 11, 2020, 06:13:53 PM »
Trees inside air root pruning containers don't stay in the same pot for ever, but do stay longer than standard nursery containers. The air root pruning containers I use were purchased from Root Maker Company. You can find Root Maker Company on line.

Ditto I have most of all my younger citrus trees in those containers. My Lee x Nova is 5 feet and still looking healthy.

Lovetoplant

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #15 on: October 13, 2020, 01:00:21 AM »
Millet----thank you for your advice.

Container Man----thank you too.
                                I'm still very impressed with your Little Cado growing technique in wine barrel for 6+ years without repotting it. 

containerman

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #16 on: October 17, 2020, 05:52:32 PM »
Millet----thank you for your advice.

Container Man----thank you too.
                                I'm still very impressed with your Little Cado growing technique in wine barrel for 6+ years without repotting it.

last season it had 45 fruit this season I just counted and it has 33 fruit. I pruned the lower branches last season and they came back with twice as many vigorous ones. I'm expecting a better season this coming year.

Lovetoplant

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #17 on: October 21, 2020, 05:13:04 AM »
Millet----thank you for your advice.

Container Man----thank you too.
                                I'm still very impressed with your Little Cado growing technique in wine barrel for 6+ years without repotting it.

last season it had 45 fruit this season I just counted and it has 33 fruit. I pruned the lower branches last season and they came back with twice as many vigorous ones. I'm expecting a better season this coming year.

Yeh, that is plenty of fruits for container grown tree.  My wurtz is on its second year in the ground and bears its first  6 fruits.  Can't wait to taste them.

You are growing Gem avo in pot too?  Has it gaven you any fruits yet?  If so, how do you like the taste? 
I went to Brokaw in Oxnard by my house, to buy Gem avocado.  But they only sell a quantity of 25+ plants.  What a bum!

Still in search for mini-nugget barks for the container grown...  I have found Whittier Fertilizer in Pico Riviera selling mini-nuggets.  I'm going to drive there to check them out.  Hopefully it will be the right stuffs.  Do you screen your bark nuggets ?


Tangerine trees do not like sand, do they?  I mixed 40% sand, 20% perlite, 30% coco coir, and 10% peat for potting mix.  They are not happy due to drainage issue.
« Last Edit: October 21, 2020, 05:21:26 AM by Lovetoplant »

Millet

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #18 on: October 21, 2020, 11:19:31 AM »
When it comes to using bark, I always use Repti Bark.  I normally make a 5-1-1  or a 5-2-1.  During the hot summer months, I normally have to water every 3 days, at this time of year I water every 4 or 5 days.

containerman

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Re: Tangerine flowering now
« Reply #19 on: October 22, 2020, 09:53:17 AM »
Millet----thank you for your advice.

Container Man----thank you too.
                                I'm still very impressed with your Little Cado growing technique in wine barrel for 6+ years without repotting it.

last season it had 45 fruit this season I just counted and it has 33 fruit. I pruned the lower branches last season and they came back with twice as many vigorous ones. I'm expecting a better season this coming year.

Yeh, that is plenty of fruits for container grown tree.  My wurtz is on its second year in the ground and bears its first  6 fruits.  Can't wait to taste them.

You are growing Gem avo in pot too?  Has it gaven you any fruits yet?  If so, how do you like the taste? 
I went to Brokaw in Oxnard by my house, to buy Gem avocado.  But they only sell a quantity of 25+ plants.  What a bum!

Still in search for mini-nugget barks for the container grown...  I have found Whittier Fertilizer in Pico Riviera selling mini-nuggets.  I'm going to drive there to check them out.  Hopefully it will be the right stuffs.  Do you screen your bark nuggets ?


Tangerine trees do not like sand, do they?  I mixed 40% sand, 20% perlite, 30% coco coir, and 10% peat for potting mix.  They are not happy due to drainage issue.

My Gem,Reed, Gwen, Carmen and D'Arturo are new young trees so they are a few years from producing. My Reed has doubled in size and might give me a few fruit this season, we will see. I'm expecting all my other varieties to produce this season as they are filling out with really nice and full canopies. Fuerte, Mexicola, Pinkerton, Bacon, Stuart and Wurtz.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2020, 09:55:40 AM by containerman »