Hello everyone. I recently registered on this forum and I have hardly any knowledge at all about properly caring and providing what is necessary for the healthy growth of any citrus tree/plant.

It was about 5 or 6 years ago when my cousin gave me a few key limes. I remember taking about 3 of the limes and put them into a dirt filled pot. To my surprise a few of the seeds germinated but, only one seedling managed to survive the long term. As it grew I decided to put it into the ground when it was maybe 2 years old. The only TLC it received after that was that it got water when the rest of the lawn did. During the 3rd year a friend told me to drive a rusted nail into the trunk of the tree and that would help it produce fruit. I'll be darned if it did'nt do just that. One day my wife and I were pretty excited to see that the tree was just full of little white flowers. The key limes were plenty and very good that season. So many keylime pies that year to give away.

My problem is that the tree has not produced a single bloom for the last two seasons. I'm trying to see what I may be able to start doing now so I may hopfully have some keylimes for the next growing season.

I do not have the best of cameras but I've submitted a couple of photos. If your able to look closely, you can see a dark brown looking spot at the lower left part of the tree trunk..........that's the rusted nail.

I sure would like to see all those little white flowers on my tree again next spring so any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Fred

Sorry. I think I messed up when trying to post pics in my original message.

[/img]http://img560.imageshack.us/i/p1000677.jpg/

[/img]http://img560.imageshack.us/i/p1000673.jpg/

You need to resize you photos to a maximum of 800 pix wide. & you also need to hit the "Close tags" link after each photo.

Your lime tree look fairly healthy, but under feed. A young tree such as yours (less than 5+ years old) needs to be fertilized three times a year. In ground trees of this age are normally fertilized using a formula such as 6-6-6, 8-8-8 or 10-10-10. Applications are equally spaced between early March through late August. The nail that your neighbor told you to hammer into the tree did not hing but wound the tree. Key Limes require high heat unites for good production. Although Key Limes can be grown in Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi is not Southern Florida. Some years in your area can provide excellent heat unites high enough for good bloom and production, but this is not true for every year. Nitrogen application a month before expected bloom date goes a long way to help the tree in flowering. - Millet (797-)

You could try a fertilizer made from chicken manure.

I grew chickens two years ago for one year. At the time, I had collected the chicken manure, and spread them around my lime tree and other trees I have in my back yard. My lime tree seemed to have benefitfed most from the manure.

Now I don't have the chickens.

Since then, I found a fertilizer which contain chicken manure at our local nursery. Although it smells, it seems to work well.

Freddy, I use a citrus fertilizer I buy at Lowes and have very good success with it for several years.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_91299-31102-120239_0__?productId=3083855&Ntt=sunniland&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dsunniland

Randy

Not 100 percent sure, but without the required heat unites, I don't think urea or potassium nitrate would be effective in promoting blooming. Many growers in souther states such as Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and so on, frequently have difficulty getting Key (Mexican) limes to fruit. These types of posting occur rather frequently, from growers in the above listed areas. However, in warm years some level of crop can be produced. Key Lime is a Southern Florida tree. - Millet (762-)

Evidently it must be a problem for freddy in Corpus Christi. - Millet (761-)

Try to induce your tree with soft white cfl light 2700k. I get 100% flower reproduction if I leave light on nonstop for at least 1 week. i leave about 2"-3" from the closest leaf.