I was told that it is best to remove the old fruit from the tree, but I have noticed that very few people in my area do this. I have been removing my fruit by the end of February but I wonder if it would really harm next year’s production if the fruit was not removed until later. My friend never removes his Satsumas and as late as last week much of the fruit was still good. The temps are in the eighties now so about half of the fruit has started to become hard. What’s your opinion on fruit removal?

I still have about 20 lemons on my tree-- there may be a slight reduction in blooms on the limbs that still have fruit, but many of them do have flowers.

As a homeowner-citrus grower my objective is to have fruit to eat when you need it--if you have more than you can eat or want to give to friends, then you do not need more production and the best you can do is to have it available as long as possible.

Satsuma's are way past ripe. They become nasty if left on the tree. If I leave mine on the tree to the middle of Dec. they are not worth eating...

Up until two days ago, I was still eating fruit from two of my trees-Meyer Lemon, Moro Blood. On a whim, I picked a fruit from my Orlando Tangelo tree and ate it. Unbelievable. I had expected it to be dried-out and nasty, but it was one of the most sweet citrus fruit's I've ever had. I still have quite a few on my tree, as they haven't been very popular with my family (too sour is what I often hear). My wife just had one and when I asked her how she liked it, her reply was "I'll take another one".

I could be mistaken, but I think I ate the first fruit from that Tangelo tree back in late October.

It all depends on the variety of citrus, on how long the fruit can remain on the tree. Some varieties increase in sugar content the longer (to a point) they hang on the tree, and some varieties should be picked rather quickly. Your tangelo is a case in point. Many people leave their grapefruit on the tree for extended periods to sweeten up the fruit. - Millet

The Armstrong Satsumas did rot just as Laaz described but the Owari seem to dry out shrivel and become mummified. I picked the remaining Hamilin oranges this week and they were very good.
I remember getting a lot of rain in February, but I am not sure if this has anything to do with fruit rot. The thicker skin Hamlins seem to do the best.

Allan Vaughn, county extension agent from plaq. parish spoke at a garden club meeting a couple of years ago in Beaumont. He stated there is a hormone in the seed that prevents the tree from going dormant. this is a reason to remove the fruit. Dr. Ralph Brown who was superintendant at Port Sulphur LA. told me many years ago that as soon as the fruit is ripe it is best removed as aquckly as possible. Never knew the reason until Alan Vaugh gave the talk a couple of years ago.