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Moro Blood orange, no flowers yet. Is that bad?

 
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tmk



Joined: 04 Apr 2009
Posts: 6
Location: Santa Clara, CA

Posted: Wed 29 Apr, 2009 3:16 am

I have a 6 or 7 year old blood orange tree that we got as a wedding gift almost 5 yrs ago. It's still small, maybe 4 feet tall.

I'm concerned that it hasn't flowered at all yet. Most of the other orange trees in the area are in full bloom, and getting past it. I've looked closely, and i can't even see flower-buds (but lots of leaf-shoots!).

Is there a trick to getting citrus to flower? It gets about a half day of sun where it's planted. We have a meyer lemon in the same area (even more shaded, actually) which has already bloomed/is still blooming and produces lots of fruit in general.

It originally came with some baby fruits on it, which grew into small oranges, so i know it's of 'fruiting age'

For a long time, I didn't have it on a watering system, and it was neglected to the point where we almost lost the tree. Then, in a winter storm a couple years back, the fence fell over right on top of it! It's had a rough life.

Anyways, we have it on regular water now, and have been fertilizing it. It's growing like crazy, which is a relief. If only we could get it to fruit :)

Any ideas? Thanks.
-tmk
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Skeeter
Moderator
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Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 2218
Location: Pensacola, FL zone 9

Posted: Wed 29 Apr, 2009 12:16 pm

I have a Moro on Flying Dragon stock that is going into it's 3rd growing season and it looks like it will have about a dozen fruit this yr.

If your tree has not bloomed in over 5 yrs, it is probably not getting what it needs. Where are you? Is it a container or inground tree? What and how much fertilizer are you using? Are you providing trace minerals if it is a container tree or if you have a very sandy low mineral soil.?

There is one "trick" that will help promote blooming--spraying the tree with a solution of Saltpeter (KNO3--about 2%) about a month before bloom time.

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Skeet
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tmk



Joined: 04 Apr 2009
Posts: 6
Location: Santa Clara, CA

Posted: Wed 29 Apr, 2009 1:09 pm

I'm in the San Jose area. The tree is in-ground.

It's growing like crazy, lots of dark green leaves and seems very happy other than the non-blooming thing.

I do see ants on it wandering around and 'inspecting' the new growth.. is it possible they're eating the buds?

What sort of signs would point to a nutrient deficiency? It's literally 6 feet from a blooming/fruiting meyer lemon.

-tmk
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tolumnia
Citruholic
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Joined: 17 Nov 2005
Posts: 157
Location: Gainesville FL Zone 8/9

Posted: Wed 29 Apr, 2009 7:59 pm

It is probably a bit young yet. My8 year old Parson Brown, in ground, is next to several trees that fruit regularly, and this is the first year it has flowered.
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Eddy



Joined: 05 Aug 2007
Posts: 8
Location: Murrieta ,California 8b

Posted: Wed 29 Apr, 2009 8:10 pm

Since you neglected it for so long is it possible that the rootstock took over? Maybe there was a freeze in your area?
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tmk



Joined: 04 Apr 2009
Posts: 6
Location: Santa Clara, CA

Posted: Wed 29 Apr, 2009 11:22 pm

No, it's definately not rootstock, i can see where the graft line is.

My current hunch is that it doesn't get enough sun.

-tmk
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morphinelover
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Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 212
Location: Gadsden, Alabama

Posted: Thu 30 Apr, 2009 12:57 am

tmk wrote:
No, it's definately not rootstock, i can see where the graft line is.

My current hunch is that it doesn't get enough sun.

-tmk

Lack of sun could be the problem. I've seen a 15-20yr old poncirus that never flower once in its life because it was under a dense tree canopy. One way of making plants flower is to starve it of fertilizer and water for awhile to the point of it nearly wilting and then put the fertilizer and water to it in abundance.
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Millet
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Joined: 13 Nov 2005
Posts: 6656
Location: Colorado

Posted: Thu 30 Apr, 2009 1:01 am

Your tree's problem is due to the care that it has previously received. Citrus produce flowers, followed by fruit, only on the new growth. Since you have not been taking care of the tree until just a short time ago, I assume that your tree has not previously put on a lot of new growth. Now that the tree is being taken care of, and is once again growing, if you continue to care for the tree, the tree will bloom next spring. Citrus bloom ONLY after going through a stress period. The stress period in your area will be from an accumulation of 600 to 800 "cold" hours. For citrus, "cold" hours mean any temperature below 68 degrees F. These hours are accumulated, of course, during the winter months. Without the required number of "cold" hours, to the tree's new growth, the tree will continue to produce only vegetative buds, and therefore your tree will produce only more new foliage. However, after the current new growth, that the tree is now producing, accumulates the required cold hours next winter, the vegetation buds will change to floral buds by a process called differentiation. Differentiation changes the tree's vegetatative buds into floral buds, by a process not fully understood. Therefore, if you continue to care for your tree, the vegetation buds being produce on this year's new growth will differentiate during this coming winter, changing into floral buds, therefore, your tree should bloom next spring. It is all up to you and the continued care you give the tree. Good luck to this tree. Take care. - Millet (1,361-)
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tmk



Joined: 04 Apr 2009
Posts: 6
Location: Santa Clara, CA

Posted: Thu 30 Apr, 2009 2:29 am

Thanks, that clears some stuff up.

I started fertilizing it in late summer last season, and it put on quite a bit of growth in the fall. I stopped as winter approached, for fear that the new growth would be too tender. It's likely it just wasn't ready when spring hit this year.

A shame, i was hoping for some nice blood oranges :)

Maybe i can graft it on my grapefruit.

-tmk
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JoeReal
Site Admin
Site Admin


Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Posts: 4726
Location: Davis, California

Posted: Thu 30 Apr, 2009 3:56 am

I have an old post complaining why my Moro Blood orange is the only citrus that I have that did not bear fruits for 4 years and it was very well taken cared of.

There must be something with the Moro that it undergoes into vegetative mode for a long time after it was disturbed, like transplanting from pot to the ground.

Well, that Moro Blood orange right now is grafted with all the pigmented or blood oranges that the UCR have in their CCPP budwood program.

And yes, about a year after I grafted it with other blood oranges, it also bloomed and bear fruits.

So I wouldn't be surprised if someone else have experienced the non-bearing of Moro for a long time after they were disturbed.

All my other citruses bloomed within a year they were planted in ground.
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Millet
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Joined: 13 Nov 2005
Posts: 6656
Location: Colorado

Posted: Thu 30 Apr, 2009 12:08 pm

What is the fertilizing schedule that you have planted for your Moro this Spring and Summer? A Moro Blood orange that is older than 5 years old, and growing in California, should be fertilized at least 3 times. - Millet (1,360-)
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tmk



Joined: 04 Apr 2009
Posts: 6
Location: Santa Clara, CA

Posted: Thu 30 Apr, 2009 1:14 pm

Millet wrote:
What is the fertilizing schedule that you have planted for your Moro this Spring and Summer? A Moro Blood orange that is older than 5 years old, and growing in California, should be fertilized at least 3 times. - Millet (1,360-)


I fertilize quite often! at least twice a week using this method:
link Wink

I can assure you, the tree has responded *very* well to this method.

-tmk
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Millet
Citruholic
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Joined: 13 Nov 2005
Posts: 6656
Location: Colorado

Posted: Thu 30 Apr, 2009 4:54 pm

Remind me not to eat any of the fruit from the tree. - Millet (1,360-)
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