Blood orange not flowering

[Txscitrus]

I have a blood orange tree i planted 4 years ago. It flowered once, but never fruited. It has new growth on it. It is surrounded by other orange variety  trees and a lemon tree. All the other trees flower and fruit. I fertilize them all with a citrus organic stuff. Forgot the name. Any ideas on why this one tree just wont flower at least? All the other varieties already have fruit growing.

[brian]

Is this a grafted tree?

Is it getting enough sunlight?

Is it growing vigorously?  Could be too much nitrogen (guess)

How cold does it get in winter there?

[Txscitrus]

Not sure about grafted. Most likely. I bought it from a nursery.  It gets full sunlight. I dont know what the nitrogen levels are but all the other citrus trees within a few feet are doing great. Growth has been exceptional. Im in Texas outside of Houston, so our winters arent bad. I wrap all my trees in frost blankets after the first cold spell and i dont unwrap them until the end of Feb. This as keep them healthy and normally covered in blooms by then.

[Millet]

Flower production, and the development of fruit, is the most stressful time for a citrus tree.   I think the non-blooming situation can be easily corrected.  There is a lot of information on this forum about the floral spraying of low biuret urea.  Urea is applied by floral spray two months before expected flowering date.  Use the search function on this forum and you will find all the information you and your tree need. 

[Yorgos]

It took my Moro and sanguinelli  blood oranges 4 or 5 years to begin producing after planting. And they exhibit  a very strong alternate bearing tendency. 

[mxcolin]

I’m having the same exact issue with mine. Lots of new growth this spring. Tree looks healthy but no sign of flowering.

[Millet]

It is not that unusual for a young citrus tree not flowering until it has been in the ground 4 years or so.  Feed your tree with a high-quality citrus tree fertilizer. If you are using a non-citrus specific fertilizer for you citrus tree, it may not be getting all of the nutrients it needs, especially if it is an organic fertilizer.   General use fertilizers provide nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but they are often missing essential micronutrients your tree needs to flower, including boron, copper, magnesium and zinc.  Citrus require more nutrition than most plants. 

[containerman]

Ok that’s good to know Millet since my Moro is the only one out of 17 different citrus not blooming this year. I’ll give it another season to grow before making any decisions on replacing it. My Cara Cara is half it’s size and full of blooms and little fruit .

[Millet]

Containerman, some people grow tall, some grow short, some people mature earlier than others, some are athletic and some not.  Not all citrus are equal.  I have no doubt that your tree will bloom when it is ready, just be SURE to give the tree all the care and nutrition it requires to have a fair start in life.  A 4 year old Blood Orange tree should be fertilized 3 times a year, equally spaced out between March and September. Last year when the tree was 3 years old it should have been fertilized 4 times that year, was it?  Remember the story of the fig tree in the Bible that did not fruit for three years, so the farmer told his worker to cut it down.  The worker said, sir let it alone another year and I will dig about it and manure it.   I'm wishing the best for this tree. Please remember to come back next year and tell us the good news of your tree.

[containerman]

Millet I'm fertilizing it on that schedule along with my other citrus. It has doubled` in size since last year and looks like it is my healthiest citrus. I ordered some urea as a back up for next January to apply.

[laidbackdood]

I have always remembered millets advice about the urea spray 2 months before spring burst and it promotes flowering big time......I have had a few trees that have not flowered much or decided to drop their flowers or i made the mistake of pest spraying when flowers were present(never spray open flowers)....I have one 3 year old tree with 2 fruit on it........Its very hard for people to remove fruit for the first 2 to 3 years...if they let the tree produce fruit in this time...it will stunt their growth.....so IMHO its good your tree has not flowered because you have given the tree more time to develop a stronger canopy and a bigger tree without any strain put on it to nurture fruit......from what i have read...growth will come in 1 of 3 ways 1.....flowers only ...2.....vegatatattaaaive growth ...3....vegatttitttive growth with flowers.....no 3 is the best......spray your tree with low buriet urea 2 months before spring burst and you will more than likely get a massive bloom......then thin them out.....spring would be march at your place right?...so spray early jan like you say......the difference in productivity is huge when left for 2/3/4 years before being allowed to fruit....Build that canopy(to support fruits) and root system.....hello to millet...i havent been on here for ages !

[Millet]

Well hello to you too Laidbackdude.  You have always been high on my list.  Nice seeing you on the forum.  Stay well.

[laidbackdood]

I have learnt a lot from you obee one  can know bee !