Hi,
I have a 6 year old Washigton navel orange tree in my
Melbourne garden. Good sunny position, good soil, no grass
arund the tree, watered well, fertilsed with citrus food 3 times
a year and prunned. Looks very healthy and produces fruit.
Unfortunately in autmn and early winter is drops fruit and
very few if any) manage to ripen fully. I thought it might simply
have been the wind but it still has lost 15 oranges over last week,
without much wind.
Help!
Alex

"Joe Blogg" wrote in message
u...
Hi,
I have a 6 year old Washigton navel orange tree in my
Melbourne garden. Good sunny position, good soil, no grass
arund the tree, watered well, fertilsed with citrus food 3 times
a year and prunned. Looks very healthy and produces fruit.
Unfortunately in autmn and early winter is drops fruit and
very few if any) manage to ripen fully. I thought it might simply
have been the wind but it still has lost 15 oranges over last week,
without much wind.
Help!
Alex




A very common problem with Washington Navels, I recommend a generous
application of the axe. You can try all sorts of nutrients etc but if the
tree has had a similar pattern over it's life why waste you time any
further.

Citrus graft easily so if the plant has a good structure wait until early
spring and graft another variety onto the trunk and say goodbye the navel.

Life is too short to waste on under ripe fruit.

Col

While Col might not be completely wrong, before you go for the 'Instant
Karma' of the axe, try doing nothing!
Being fed\pruned so much could be the problem. Citrus don't like changing
conditions all that much, and as most of their ancestors come from tough
climates, they often shine \ flower in rough seasons. Prune lightly if at
all. If a tree has been dry for a while, a change in conditions often
provokes a reaction, ie fruit drop. And if there is no obvious signs of
hunger such as an overall yellowing of the leaves, don't feed. Also, while
you have kept the grass from around it's base, don't 'chip' the weeds
either. Don't disturb the soil around the roots, so plant something
unagressive like allysium or let the moss grow, or just keep it mulched.
Many a citrus has been killed with kindness, they like it tough, as they say
in Saville and Valencia.