Author Topic: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?  (Read 2531 times)

Johnny Redland

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Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« on: October 29, 2018, 05:17:39 PM »
I have a blood orange tree that has set over 100 fruit each of the past 2 years.  The tree is only about 7ft tall and 5ft wide.  Both years, no fruit gets full size.  They all end up either aborting early, or ripening on the tree at a small size and then dropping.  Do I need to cull these next year? Tree appears healthy.  I bought the tree as a 15gal and it had one large fruit on it, so I know its supposed to be a larger fruit. They are Sanguinelli variety (?sp)

-Jon

Yorgos

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #1 on: October 30, 2018, 02:35:26 PM »
Blood oranges are not as big as navels certainly.  My moro's get about tennis ball size. Can you post a picture of your fruit against a tennis ball or something so relative size is easier to grasp? I'm impressed you have gotten two years crops in a row.  My tree is strongly alternate bearing such that it rarely flowers every other year..
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Millet

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #2 on: October 30, 2018, 03:00:02 PM »
The fruit of an orange tree draws all of their energy/nutrients to mature and enlarge to their full size from only the three closest leaves to the fruit.  If you cull the fruit to this ratio, your tree will produce larger fruit.

Johnny Redland

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #3 on: October 30, 2018, 07:18:46 PM »
The fruit of an orange tree draws all of their energy/nutrients to mature and enlarge to their full size from only the three closest leaves to the fruit.  If you cull the fruit to this ratio, your tree will produce larger fruit.

I’m not quite sure what you’re saying. Can you explain this in more detail? Thank you sir

Johnny Redland

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2018, 07:25:21 PM »
Blood oranges are not as big as navels certainly.  My moro's get about tennis ball size. Can you post a picture of your fruit against a tennis ball or something so relative size is easier to grasp? I'm impressed you have gotten two years crops in a row.  My tree is strongly alternate bearing such that it rarely flowers every other year..

They are the size of golf balls when they ripen and fall off

Laaz

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #5 on: October 30, 2018, 10:17:15 PM »
Are you positive it's a blood orange & not trifoliata? Photo of the tree?

Millet

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #6 on: October 30, 2018, 10:24:23 PM »
Johnny Redland,  Many people wrongly suppose that citrus fruit draws all their required growth elements to produce a fully grown fruit from the foliage of the entire citrus tree.  However, research as shown that a particular fruit draws all of its required energy and nutrients only from the three closest leaves to the fruit, and not from the entire tree in general.  Thinning the crop load, especially the fruit clustering will help a lot to increase fruit size... especially on young trees. By the way Johnny how old is this tree?
« Last Edit: October 30, 2018, 10:29:35 PM by Millet »

Laaz

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #7 on: October 30, 2018, 10:29:27 PM »
It's possible the original graft died & the tree is now rootstock.

Johnny Redland

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2018, 09:25:10 AM »
It's possible the original graft died & the tree is now rootstock.

Is that possible? What a damn shame that would be. Sour orange?! Yuck

Johnny Redland

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2018, 09:28:43 AM »
Johnny Redland,  Many people wrongly suppose that citrus fruit draws all their required growth elements to produce a fully grown fruit from the foliage of the entire citrus tree.  However, research as shown that a particular fruit draws all of its required energy and nutrients only from the three closest leaves to the fruit, and not from the entire tree in general.  Thinning the crop load, especially the fruit clustering will help a lot to increase fruit size... especially on young trees. By the way Johnny how old is this tree?

About 6 years from graft I’d say

Laaz

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #10 on: October 31, 2018, 10:23:04 AM »
Yes it happens quite a bit & you end up with a big thorny tree that produces nasty fruit. Are the leaves tri or single?

Yorgos

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #11 on: November 06, 2018, 11:37:42 AM »
Johnny Redland,  Many people wrongly suppose that citrus fruit draws all their required growth elements to produce a fully grown fruit from the foliage of the entire citrus tree.  However, research as shown that a particular fruit draws all of its required energy and nutrients only from the three closest leaves to the fruit, and not from the entire tree in general.  Thinning the crop load, especially the fruit clustering will help a lot to increase fruit size... especially on young trees. By the way Johnny how old is this tree?

I have 2 clusters of up to 10 star ruby grapefruits and the fruits have not gotten very large. Maybe baseball sized. How close do these 3 leaves per fruit need to be? On the same branch close enough?  Also, when should one thin the fruit and how "thin" should one do it?   
Millet, I acted on your low biurette spray advice before flowering, at fruit set and before drop to see about boosting fruit hold and, hopefully, fruit size.  This is the first year  (5 years in the ground) I have any production on this tree.
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Laaz

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Re: Do Oranges Have to be Culled?
« Reply #12 on: November 07, 2018, 07:28:04 AM »