fukushu kumquat grafted to Flying Dragon 8-28-2020 loosing fruit

[poncirsguy]

My tree is very large with at least 30 feet of linear branch grow and full of healthy dark green leaves.  It produced 100's of flower as well as some new shoots.  Most of the fruits are turning colors and falling with a few remaining green with out growth





Would anyone know why fruit drops from a well established tree.  I use Jacks 25-5-15 once a month by soaking the tree in a tub.  I water as needed between soakings.  No dry pockets in my dirt.

[brian]

Things aren't perfect?  Fruit drop.   Things are perfect?  a little less fruit drop

[poncirsguy]

I guess so.  I changed the date in the title to its true date of 8-28-20

[Millet]

Was the fruit load heaver last year than this year?

[poncirsguy]

This is the first year it flowered. 

[poncirsguy]

7-31-22  Tree is loaded again with 100's of flowers again. 



We will see what happens.  Temperatures in 80's instead of 90's this time.  We are due for a 90F, 94F, 90F then all 80's

[Millet]

There is a common situation called June Drop.  June Drop occurs both in the months of June and July.  Most all trees suffer from it.   My inground Cara Cara experienced June Drop last week, dropping some golf ball sized fruit.  You can find a lot about June Drop  with a computer search.

[vnomonee]

My kumquats tend to drop fruits from the first flowers, it will shrivel up and drop although there will be a fruit here and there until the second flowering which tends to hold most of the fruit. Not sure if it's a temperature or pollination situation maybe both.

[poncirsguy]

I hope my second flowering holds fruit.  My inground own roots Fukushu flowered and has held onto 10+/- fruits and is now about to flower again too.  I'll look up June drop.  I had an Arkansas blacking apple that flowered in April then suffered from May drop, June drop, July drop, august drop, September drop, and October drop.  I might get 10 really good apples in November after dropping several hundred.  A.B.  is fire wood now.  Because we are so much closer to the arctic circle our days are longer and very hot.  This may affect the growth of citrus fruits.

[poncirsguy]

Night shot

[Millet]

Poncirusguy, nice looking container tree.  Well balanced.

[1rainman]

Too much fruit will suck energy out of the tree. It's natural that it thins itself. On small trees it's good to pick the small fruit thin it yourself for the health of the tree because it can over produce. A wild tree from seed won't fruit until several years and it's a big tree. Grafted ones and cuttings produce when they are too small to support all that fruit.

If a small tree is loaded with ripe fruit it won't have energy to grow roots and foliage. Once it's a full size tree no longer growing really it can be loaded down with fruit no problem.

[poncirsguy]

Thank you for the comments and help  My in ground Fukushu is from seed and is 8 feet tall and about 5 feet in diameter.  I'm hoping there will be lots of fruits when I get home.

[poncirsguy]

Up dating on my Fukushu/FD kumquat tree.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPtm7KgAPH8
Swamped the root ball with 1/3 dose Jacks 25-5-15 feed and pulled the perched perched water out and aerate the roots with a vacuum cleaner.

[vnomonee]

good idea aerating the roots. my meiwa which came grafted to a sour mandarin has stunted fruit growth and branch die back compared to my graft to citrumelo which has nice round fruit that is starting to color up. I suspected root rot, so I pulled it out of the fabric pot and yes dry and rotting roots. The potting mix was very dense too so it wasn't draining. Repotted in fresh mix with perlite, I don't have 5-1-1 ingredients or anything else. I also put it back into a plastic pot, I'm finding that the fabric pots with this potting mix causes it to become hydrophobic and dry around the sides of the pot but the middle of the mix is dense and never dries out.

[Millet]

Poncirusguy, your Fukushu kumquat tree on FD is an EXCELENT healthy looking tree.  Also seems very well balanced.  Congratulations on such a fine tree.

[poncirsguy]

Thanks vnomonee and Millet for the compliments.  I have found that Fukushu kumquats are much easier to grow as well balanced trees.  None of my other citrus seem to grow in a balanced formed.  I don't know why