I checked today. Have some blossoms and some itty bitty oranges already.
--
Steve Easton
Microsoft MVP FrontPage
95isalive
This site is best viewed............
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I send you some...mine just finished blooming last week, the fruit buds are
already starting...ah the smell!
Our oranges are ripe about a week before xmas every year.
R.
| FM,
|
| Thanks for the great information.
| I might even have some oranges this year.
|
| --
| Steve Easton
| Microsoft MVP FrontPage
| 95isalive
| This site is best viewed............
| .......................with a computer
|
| | > Steve,
| > Most orange trees are alternate bearing. Depending on the weather, the
| bloom
| > will hold proportionate to the trees capability. The spliting is usually
| > caused by the orange's center growing faster than the skin. Now would be
a
| > good time to prune the tree. The thorny branches you noted on the tree
| are
| > a derivitive of the root stock and can be removed. . What you want to
keep
| > is recent growth (this years flush), a solid leaf structure to maintain
a
| > good canopy and branches with fruit wood. You want to elininate succors
,
| > inside dead wood, branches growing down on the lower outside of the
canopy
| > (skirt the tree) and branches that are causing structural conflict in
the
| > tree or eliminating "too much sunlight" to the trees center. As soon as
| the
| > bloom falls put a small amount of the "3's" (usually
30-30-30=percentages
| of
| > Nitrigen, Potassium and Phosphorus)at the base of the tree, far enough
| from
| > the trunk to catch the fringes of the root system.You can put on other
| > minerals later if the tree show signs of need. Start the water no later
| than
| > the end of petal fall. Potassium is the usual answer to spliting. It
| > increases skin growth, better sizing. For your info we have some
branches
| > that bend as much as 4-5 feet downward from fruitload, without breaking.
| > You'll be surprised how much weight even the smallest twigs will hold.
| >
| > If its a potted dwarf then you might want to consider either a bigger
pot
| or
| > planting it in the ground if possible.
| >
| > Valencias carry two crops a year. We started picking yesterday and will
| > probably finish about the first of June (about 135,000 40# cartons). At
| the
| > same time next year's crop is blooming and setting on the trees. The
| Navels
| > were completed in February (300,000 40# cartons).
| >
| > We do have bees from Mid March to Mid April. Although its not manditory.
| >
| > Good luck on your tree. The fruit on the tree, which I assume is a
navel,
| > should be picked off prior to bloom.
| >
| > Yes this is our time of Heaven. My office is in the middle of the grove!
| >
| > Bob
| >
| > | > > FM, Thanks for the response
| > >
| > > The tree and the root graft are exactly as you describe it.
| > > It's an orange tree ( variety escapes me at the moment though )
| > >
| > > We'll leave the blossoms on this year, but if there are as many as
past
| > year
| > > I'm afraid the poor thing will fall over.
| > > We did miss one blossom last year, but the fruit split as it started
to
| > > ripen
| > >
| > > 50000 orange trees in bloom must be a beautiful sight, let alone the
| scent
| > > of orange blossoms in the air.
| > > Do you maintain Honey Bees to help with pollination??
| > >
| > > As an aside, the company Christie ( better half ) works with is in the
| > > orange oils / citrus oils business.
| > > Move the stuff by the tank truck load.
| > > They just turned down an offer from one of the orange processors to
| > > guarantee loads to them at .45 cents a pound because the owner thinks
| > orange
| > > oils / d-limonine prices etc. are going lower.
| > >
| > >
| > > --
| > > Steve Easton
| > > Microsoft MVP FrontPage
| > > 95isalive
| > > This site is best viewed............
| > > .......................with a computer
| > >
| > > | > > > Dear Steve,
| > > > I hate to tell you but you've been had. I don't know what your root
| > stock
| > > > looks like now but at three years old it should be the first 2-3
| inches
| > of
| > > > the tree above ground. Once the variety is grafted onto the root
stock
| > it
| > > > becomes the foundation of the tree's root system and has little or
| > nothing
| > > > to do with the cultural practise of the tree. Flying Dragon is
nothing
| > > more
| > > > than a variety of Trifoliate Stock. Its used mainly in Dwarf trees.
We
| > > > happen to plant on C35, which is a more tolerant variety to cold
| > weather.
| > > > Whoever told you to pinch off the blossums is nuts. You do that for
| > stone
| > > > fruit (ie peaches etc) because the branch system is to weak to hold
| the
| > > > fruit. Mother nature will do its own work, leave the blossums alone.
| If
| > > you
| > > > have a dwarf variety you should still have a single truck that by
now
| is
| > 1
| > > > 1/2 - 2 feet high to the crouch. If you have branches below that ,
| > coming
| > > > out of the root stock, they are succors and should be pruned off.
What
| > > > variety of fruit is grafted to the stock? You can grow peach bushes
| but
| > > > oranges don't do well as a bush. The root stock is important in
| freezing
| > > > areas because you can burn the branch system and it will recover. I
| > won't
| > > go
| > > > into a lot of technicals but when the root system freezes the trees
| > gone.
| > > Is
| > > > your tree blooming right now? We've got 50,000 that are.
| > > >
| > > > Bob
| > > >
| > > > | > > > > I am really serious.
| > > > > Only have one Orange tree, but it is / was grafted to Flying
Dragon
| > root
| > > > > stock.
| > > > > Had to listen to a lecture from the guy we bought it from as to
how
| to
| > > > take
| > > > > care of it.
| > > > > It's going on year three and we still are supposed to pluck the
| > blossoms
| > > > > every year.
| > > > > It has the "checked for cancer" registration tag and all.
| > > > > Big thing here in Florida because it is supposedly more freeze
| > tolerant.
| > > > > Now, what the root stock which lives underground has to do with
| freeze
| > > > > tolerance for the tree that lives above ground is beyond me.
| > > > >
| > > > > The root stock itself looks like a bramble with thorns.
| > > > > ( we had to be shown it in the nursery where we bought the tree )
| > > > >
| > > > > Do a Google search for "flying dragon rootstock" with the quotes.
| > > > >
| > > > > --
| > > > > Steve Easton
| > > > > Microsoft MVP FrontPage
| > > > > 95isalive
| > > > > This site is best viewed............
| > > > > .......................with a computer
| > > > >
| > > > > | > > > > > Steve,
| > > > > > I've heard of some weird "root stocks" but that one's out of my
| > realm.
| > > > If
| > > > > > you're serious let me know and I'll research it.
| > > > > >
| > > > > > Bob
| > > > > >
| > > > > > | > > > > > > No Flying Dragon root stock, or is that more of a Florida
| > variety??
| > > > > > >
| > > > > > >
| > > > > > >
| > > > > > > --
| > > > > > > Steve Easton
| > > > > > > Microsoft MVP FrontPage
| > > > > > > 95isalive
| > > > > > > This site is best viewed............
| > > > > > > .......................with a computer
| > > > > > >
| > > > > > > | > > > > > > > Just a word of thanks. I got one of my projects done.
| > > > > > > > Is at.
http://www.agriswiss.com/Ranch Photos.htm
| > > > > > > >
| > > > > > > > I still have some work to do on the other site but at least
| I'm
| > > > making
| > > > > > > > progress.
| > > > > > > >
| > > > > > > > Sincerely,
| > > > > > > >
| > > > > > > > Bob
| > > > > > > >
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