Hello, I have many dry oranges. Very little juice inside. These trees are fairly young (3 to eight) years and just beginning to bear good. Some trees produced nice oranges last year and had more juice. Being in Costa Rica it is now 1 month into the dry season. Some are just now seeming ripe. If I remember last year I made a note to harvest before into the dry season. Maybe I need to irrigate for the final month or two? Maybe something missing in their nutrients. Maybe I just have the wrong type of trees?? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

It is normal for young trees to have dry fruit by eight year old trees, I would say irrigate.

Thanks Hershell, Yes irrigation would make the most sense. I've heard they may produce year round if well irrigated also. Will need to work on irrigation system for next year. Originally used drippers for small trees. Will have to research system for larger trees.

More drippers or use micro misters. You might be able to use the same drip hose if volume and pressure are adequate. You could even plug up the holes where the drippers were if they aren't built in. Tom

When a citrus tree is in drought conditions, the tree's survival systems kick in, and retakes the moisture out of its leaves, causing wilt, and also the tree retakes the moisture out of the fruit. Those two tree parts are the tree's emergency back up systems. The tree recalls this water to enable it to survive. If your tree has been under irrigated for an extended time, it is no wonder that the fruit is in the condition it is in. For young trees, the goal of irrigating twice per week, during the dry seasons, or periods, is to maintain optimum moisture in the upper soil layer where most of the roots are. If you have a feel for the field capacity of your soil, maintain approximately 65% of the field capacity in the top five feet of soil during the crucial periods of leaf expansion, bloom, fruit set, and fruit enlargement. - Millet
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