Fields:
salad citrus?? |
Citrus leaf discoloration |
Citrus question |
orange wine |
Orange tree problems |
help for neglected citrus?
From: mjohnson@fea.net (Mark A. Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: salad citrus??
We have room for one full-sized citrus tree in our Southern California yard, and one possibility is what a local nursery calls a "salad citrus" tree. Various citrus limbs have been grafted onto an orange tree, so different parts of the tree produce Washington navel oranges, late navels, mandarins, Valencias, and Eureka lemons. The question is
-- is this a good thing? We worry that differing nutritional/watering needs might cause problems, or that the tree might, like a woman who's borne too many children, simply wear out. Does anybody have experience to share with us? Many thanks . . .
Mark Johnson
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From: dgholston@aol.com (DGholston)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: salad citrus??
The nutritional/watering requirements are pretty much the same for most citrus, and I doubt that your tree would wear itself out, although you might experience some alternate year bearing of some things. The main problem with mutligrafted fruit trees, in my experience, is that one or more of the grafts does not thrive or else will take over the tree at the expense of the others. The latter problem can sometimes be controlled by appropriate pruning. Otherwise, I say give it a go.
Don Gholston
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From: Helen Kay <enhkay@mailbox.uq.edu.au>
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: salad citrus?? Reply-To: Helen Kay <enhkay@mailbox.uq.edu.au>
My experience of multi-grafted trees is that they can be difficult to maintain--differing vigor and growth habits can mean that one or more grafts will be crowded out. Orange/mandarin/lemon gives you a few big differences in growth habit already. You might be better off with several dwarf trees--I haven't tried the "plant-two-or-three-in-the-same-hole" trick with citrus, though this could be worth investigating--or one biggie (say a lemon or Valencia, as they hold their fruit) and maybe a mandarin in a pot?
Helen.
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From: "Jenn" <audacity@teleport.com>
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: salad citrus??
At my home, we have an apple tree that bears four varieties of apples, as well as a cherry tree that has four varieties of cherries. This is good, as only one or two varieties of each fruit is self-pollinating, that way, those little bees don't have to go far, they just need to go to the next branch to get a different kind of pollen! We did have one branch on the cherry tree die out completely (so now it only has 3 varieties), this may have been because of the variety on that branch, but it was more likely due to a violent wind and rain storm last winter. The Washington variety of oranges may not grow so well, I live in southern Washington (the warmest and driest part of western Washington), and I used to live in California, that climates are NOT similar. You won't really have to worry about watering and fertilizing. Quick science lesson: When you water a plant, it brings water up to its trunk/stem from its roots, and from there distributes water to leaves on the main trunk and branches, and it keeps going from there. When cells (and therefore leaves) need more water, they suck more up, they usually only take what they need, they let the rest go on. However, if you overwater, that water can't go on, there's no place for it, so it has to go into the cells, and that's when you get problems. Some people don't understand why too much water is a bad thing, but think about it this way, when youe at too much, what happens to your belt? Cells aren't as strong as our skin, they don't just bulge, they can burst. Which is NOT a good thing. So water your tree however you normally would, water it a little more if it seems to be wilty. Most trees like that retain one of their original branches, and they cut off the other branches (and stick them on some other tree), and then other varieties are grafted onto the branches. So your tree wouldn't be gaining too much of a burden, it's going to have the same amount of branches, and they'll all be about the same size. Some branches will bear more fruit (our black cherry branch bore double the amount ofthe other branches together), but it'll even out. As for feeding, do that normally. Just be sure to treat your tree as a *baby*, not a young tree...if you buy one of these trees, keep in mind that it's an amputee, you need to treat it nice at first, because trees tend to go through a bit of shock when a lot of grafting is done, and not all nurseries let the trees calm down before they sell them. The first year (or two) you have your tree, don't let it bear many fruits, pluck off a majority of the flowers so it doesn't get stressed. And when you do this, leave a few flowers in all places of the branch, don't just leave them at the end or middle. That way your tree will have weight on all ends, it'll get strong on all ends.
Jenn Reed audacity@teleport.com Free Recipes: http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/9559/
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From: dgholston@aol.com (DGholston)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: Citrus leaf discoloration
>I have a pot grown citrus tree which is about 2 feet tall. Just recently the
>leaves have started to go brown at the edges and get covered in brown spots.
>They are totally flat spots, the texture of the leaf does not change but in the
>end it all goes brown.
>Can anyone suggest what to do about this?? I don't really want to throw the
>plant away but I can't find information about this disease in any of my books.<
This sounds liike it might be "salt burn", brought about by the build up of salts in the soil of the container from fertilizing and watering. Try washing out some the salts by flooding the container with water until it flows out the bottom. Good luck.
Don Gholston
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From: dgholston@aol.com (DGholston)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: Citrus question
>I have a little Myer lemon tree growing in a container. It has been putting out new leaves, but they've been curling up. Upon closer inspection, I see a thin black line (sort of wavy) on each of these leaves. I don't see any bugs. Is some sort of teensy bug burrowing inside of the leaves, making these tracks?<
>Any idea what this is and how I can combat it? (Organic suggestions preferred.)<
The curled leaves sound like aphids which can be treated with soap or oil sprays. However, it may well be citrus leaf miner which can also distort the foliage. Do you live in Florida or Texas, by the way? Oil sprays offer some control.
Don Gholston
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From: avarela007@aol.com (AVarela007)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: Citrus question
I went back and took a closer look at the leaves and found that there does seem to be a tiny, worm-like critter at the end of each hairline trail. Is this a citrus leaf miner?
BTW, I live in southwest Florida.
Thanks again for any and all suggestions!
- Anna V. in Zone 9
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From: dgholston@aol.com (DGholston)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: Citrus question
>I've heard mention of a biological control for citrus leafminer in Australia--does anyone know anything more about this, or whether it is present o.s. as well?<
Yes, some growers are using a natural enemy to control the the leaf miner moth.
Don Gholston
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From: Bryan Shedden <guran@deepwoods.fam.aust.com>
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: Citrus question Reply-To: guran@deepwoods.fam.aust.com
AVarela007 wrote:
>
> I went back and took a closer look at the leaves and found that there does seem
> to be a tiny, worm-like critter at the end of each hairline trail. Is this a
> citrus leaf miner?
>
> BTW, I live in southwest Florida.
>
> Thanks again for any and all suggestions!
> - Anna V. in Zone 9
I am also having the same problem with leaf miner on my kaffir lime tree. Last year I tried using "Lebacid" (fruit fly control spray) which appeared to work. However this year when i got my new growth the problem was worse. I was told that "white oil" may solve the problem, but when tried it made no real difference.
If anyone has any great solutions for the leaf miner I am extemely interested also (especially organic ones!!!)
Fiona Kaul Albion Park (100km south Sydney) Australis
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From: sinnombre@webtv.net
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: Citrus question
Sounds like citrus leaf miner, as sugested spray oil will help a little, There is also a chemical treatment that can be bought from a agricultural chemical dealer ( cant remember the name) but its very expensive (unless the price has come down recently), The people who sell it could tell you more, its probably made by Monsanto,but I couldn't say for sure. If I run across it again, I'll post it.
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From: Robert Higdon <rhigdon@cs.mun.ca>
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.winemaking
Subject: orange wine
I'm about to make my first orange wine. I already have the recipies from Don Buchan's Wine & Stuff page. I've never tried an orange wine before, can it ever taste good? Any extra advice would be appreciated.
___________________________________ Robert Higdon, B.A.(hons) Memorial University of Newfoundland rhigdon@ganymede.cs.mun.ca
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From: "Eric" <climber@total.net>
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.winemaking
Subject: Re: orange wine
Hi Robert,
On March 24 I started an orange wine from a recipe from WWW. = spagnols.com/handouts/recipe/orange.htm. It has been very clear very early in the making. The recipe calls for = 2.5 tsp of Pectic enzyme for 23 L (this is reference message from Alan D = ) Guy T
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From: AllanD <wdegroot@ptdprolog.net>
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.winemaking
Subject: Re: orange wine Reply-To: AllanD <wdegroot@ptdprolog.net>
One IMPORTANT piece of advise, Use depectinizer, use a lot of it. Oranges(and all citrus fruits) have a lot of pectin in them. and are particularly difficult to clear unless depectiniser is used.
I haven't made wine with oranges, but I have made a grapefruit Melomel...
Allan
--------newsChars Posted from the Oenology Database http://www.arq.net/db/enology
using SpiderSilk http://www.arq.com/software/spidersilk
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From: "kwatkins" <kew@gateway.net.au>
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.winemaking
Subject: Re: orange wine
Hell Everybody,
The first wine we made was an orange wine and now nearly 12 months later it is a very, very nice wine. Right from the start, the wine tasted good but has definitely improved with age.
Robert if you would like to know more details e-mail me direct with your questions.
Have a good day,
Karen WATKINS (Donnybrook, Western Australia)
kew@gateway.net.au
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From: "Pat O'Malley" <pato@goodnet.com>
Newsgroups: alt.agriculture.fruit
Subject: Re: Orange tree problems
If all the fallen fruit has holes, you may be having problems with birds. Woodpeckers sometimes cause this. The bug probably got in after the fruit was down.
If it is birds, then there aren't any easy solutions. Generally with citrus people just ignore bird damage. They usually don't damage too many.
With other kinds of fruit where birds are likely to go after lots of fruit they put nets over the trees.
JohnRBek wrote in message <19981203164705.10088.00001842@ng27.aol.com>...
>Help!!!
>
>Having a tree full of oranges is a great thing. Watching them fall one by one
>to the grow before ripening is not!
>
>My oranges are growing to a nice size, but then prematurely falling. Upon
>examination, there is a marring of the surface where it appears a bug has tried
>to penetrate the surface. On the fallen fruit, there is also a hole where some
>brown flying bug type insect is munching away on the interior of the fruit.
>
>I have pictures of a bad piece of fruit and the insect itself. These can be
>emailed for further diagnosis if necessary...
>
>What measures can I take to control the problem? Prevent it from happening
>next year?
>
>Any input would be greatly appreciated..
>
>John
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From: Maia Sanders <maia@slip.net>
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: help for neglected citrus?
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1998 21:08:40 -0800
I have just moved into a house with previously lazy tenants, who have ignored the duties of citrus care. They have left a 11 foot tall lemon and a 16 foot orange tree, both heavily bearing, but with overcrowded branches and trunks bare about halfway up the trees. This looks like there have been occasional and vigouous, although misguided, attempts at
pruning in the past. I would like to salvage these trees. I live on the San Jose-Santa Clara border (central/northern California), and my neighbors are all growing citrus, jalapenos, tomatoes and prickly pear, so I assume it gets pretty hot here. Nobody has covered their trees although it's been cold. Any help is appreciated! thanks, M.Sanders
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From: "olin" <ejkmillero@worldnet.att.net>
Newsgroups: rec.gardens.edible
Subject: Re: help for neglected citrus?
Date: 30 Dec 1998 18:57:04 GMT
Citrus trees seldom require heavy pruning. Corrective pruning should be limited to removing dead or severely damaged twigs, branches or limbs. Then twigs are thinned out to balance the branching. Unlike deciduous fruit trees, pruning is not required for fruit production. Pruning by commercial growers, at least in our area (Phoenix AZ) is limited to topping some of the taller type trees so the fruit will be accessible from the mechanical picking machinery.
Also check the base of the tree to ensure the bud union is still above the ground surface - if not, remove soil to expose the bud union to air. Then, if you need to provide supplemental irrigation, extend the irrigation basin or (drip emitter ring) out to the edge of the canopy. Inspect the trunk and lower limbs and remove any bark that is loose, cracked or bleeding sap and paint the cuts with a dilute Bordeaux mixture.
We usually use a nitrogen fertilizer applied three times each year. The first a few weeks before blossoming, the second just after June drop (occurs in May here) and the third about August. Fruit sizing seems to be dependent on the August fertilizer application.
You indicated there is a heavy fruit set so the tree is probably basically healthy.
-- To reply omit ejk from address. Olin
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