Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported "acidic". Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil. My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB

On 1/29/2016 11:47 AM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported "acidic". Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil. My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB


Do you know the variety? Some oranges are naturally sour (e.g.,
'Seville' oranges). Also, orange trees grown from seed often do not
reflect the quality of the fruit from their parents.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

On 1/29/2016 2:53 PM, David E. Ross wrote:
On 1/29/2016 11:47 AM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported "acidic". Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil. My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB


Do you know the variety? Some oranges are naturally sour (e.g.,
'Seville' oranges). Also, orange trees grown from seed often do not
reflect the quality of the fruit from their parents.


It is entirely possible that the report of "acidic" was tied to the taster,
not the orange. I cannot give my elderly mother oranges because they are
all are sour and burn her throat but they are just normal oranges to me. If
multiple tasters had reported the same thing then I'd have more confidence
that it might be the orange.

David E. Ross wrote:
Hypatia Nachshon wrote:

One reported "acidic". Why?!

Do you know the variety?

Probably an LSD variatal.

On Friday, January 29, 2016 at 11:47:28 AM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported "acidic". Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil. My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB

Thanks to all for input.

These are dwarf Washington oranges. I tasted one and it was a little on the "sharp" side, for a variety that is usually milder. I fed tree with regular commercial citrus fertilizer.

Previous crop from same tree was less "acidic", if memory serves. Is there any wisdom out there relating to types/effects of fertilizer? I can't think of any other variable.

Would hate to wait another year for same result.

TIA

HB

On Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at 7:51:49 PM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
On Friday, January 29, 2016 at 11:47:28 AM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported "acidic". Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil. My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB

Thanks to all for input.

These are dwarf Washington oranges. I tasted one and it was a little on the "sharp" side, for a variety that is usually milder. I fed tree with regular commercial citrus fertilizer.

Previous crop from same tree was less "acidic", if memory serves. Is there any wisdom out there relating to types/effects of fertilizer? I can't think of any other variable.

Would hate to wait another year for same result.

TIA

HB

Update: Several other "tasters" did not report "acidic"; just normal. So that first orange may have been an anomaly for ? reason.

Will have to read up on fertilizers for next year.

HB

Once upon a time on usenet Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
On Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at 7:51:49 PM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:
On Friday, January 29, 2016 at 11:47:28 AM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:
Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported
"acidic". Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil.
My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB

Thanks to all for input.

These are dwarf Washington oranges. I tasted one and it was a
little on the "sharp" side, for a variety that is usually milder. I
fed tree with regular commercial citrus fertilizer.

Previous crop from same tree was less "acidic", if memory serves.
Is there any wisdom out there relating to types/effects of
fertilizer? I can't think of any other variable.

Would hate to wait another year for same result.

TIA

HB

Update: Several other "tasters" did not report "acidic"; just
normal. So that first orange may have been an anomaly for ? reason.

Will have to read up on fertilizers for next year.

HB

While degree of ripeness in oranges doesn't effect sweetness (which can mask
acidity) it *does* effect acidity considerably so be sure they're completely
ripe (it reduces as they ripen). Also a short period of post-picking storage
will reduce acidity (but always pick when completely ripe.)

That's off the top of my head by the way. Gathered wisdom which I use with
my own citrus harvest. I usually wait for the first couple of fruit from
each tree to fall before harvesting (most of) the rest with oranges. Unless
I'm in need of one or two for the kitchen.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

To the best of my knowledge fertilisers have almost zero effect on acidity
or sweetness. About the only things that do are sunlight / leaf area per
fruit and /adequate/ fertilisation.

....... I was just in the process of double-checking that for you but I'm
busy right now so:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=pre-harvest+fac...s+in +oranges

Good luck! I spent an hour reading before deciding to share a link rather
than collating and summarising the data for you.

Once upon a time on usenet Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
On Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at 7:51:49 PM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:
On Friday, January 29, 2016 at 11:47:28 AM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:
Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported
"acidic". Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil.
My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB

Thanks to all for input.

These are dwarf Washington oranges. I tasted one and it was a
little on the "sharp" side, for a variety that is usually milder. I
fed tree with regular commercial citrus fertilizer.

Previous crop from same tree was less "acidic", if memory serves.
Is there any wisdom out there relating to types/effects of
fertilizer? I can't think of any other variable.

Would hate to wait another year for same result.

TIA

HB

Update: Several other "tasters" did not report "acidic"; just
normal. So that first orange may have been an anomaly for ? reason.

Will have to read up on fertilizers for next year.

HB

While degree of ripeness in oranges doesn't effect sweetness (which can mask
acidity) it *does* effect acidity considerably so be sure they're completely
ripe (it reduces as they ripen). Also a short period of post-picking storage
will reduce acidity (but always pick when completely ripe.)

That's off the top of my head by the way. Gathered wisdom which I use with
my own citrus harvest. I usually wait for the first couple of fruit from
each tree to fall before harvesting (most of) the rest with oranges. Unless
I'm in need of one or two for the kitchen.

To the best of my knowledge fertilisers have almost zero effect on acidity
or sweetness. About the only things that do are sunlight / leaf area per
fruit and /adequate/ fertilisation.

....... I was just in the process of double-checking that for you but I'm
busy right now so:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=pre-harvest+fac...s+in +oranges

Good luck! I spent an hour reading before deciding to share a link rather
than collating and summarising the data for you.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sorry, the previous post had the signature in the wrong place.

I should add that I'm also inclined to agree with others who stated that
there's a good chance individual palettes came into play with your taste
testing.

Best of luck.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

Once upon a time on usenet Hypatia Nachshon wrote:

I found this:



The most important nutrients
influencing fruit quality are nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium. However,
when any other nutrient is deficient or
in excess, fruit yield and quality are
negatively altered. Nitrogen (N) in-
creases juice content, TSS per box and
per acre, and acid content. However,
excessive N can induce excess vigor
and promote a vegetative rather than a
flowering tree, and can result in lower
yields with lower TSS per acre. In
contrast, low N levels promote exten-
sive flowering, but fruit set and yields
are poor.
Phosphorus reduces acid content,
which increases soluble solids: acid ra-
tio. Potassium (K) increases fruit pro-
duction, fruit size, green fruit and peel
thickness. Foliar spray of potassium
nitrate or monopotassium phosphate
in the spring often increases fruit size
of tangerine and grapefruit, and fruit
size and total pound solids of Valen-
cia orange. Foliar application (six to
eight weeks before bloom) of urea can
increase flowering and fruit set.

He
http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extensi...ors_citrus.pdf

Hope it helps.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

On Friday, January 29, 2016 at 11:47:28 AM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported "acidic". Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil. My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB

Checking in late because of an influx of house guests since early January - -FIVE in quick succession! Now in recovery; gradually starting to put life back together and follow up on group.

VERY grateful for scholarly research on this topic! Will study and integrate info, links, etc. for the next crop, due in about a year. This is a dwarf Washington that is dear to my heart, so your wisdom is appreciated.

Will be more consistent in watering and fertilizing.

Note that I DID let oranges get quite, quite ripe (in fact I lost a few through cracks in the skin).

Thanks again to all!

HB

Once upon a time on usenet Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
On Friday, January 29, 2016 at 11:47:28 AM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:
Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported "acidic".
Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil.
My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB

Checking in late because of an influx of house guests since early
January - -FIVE in quick succession! Now in recovery; gradually
starting to put life back together and follow up on group.

VERY grateful for scholarly research on this topic! Will study and
integrate info, links, etc. for the next crop, due in about a year.
This is a dwarf Washington that is dear to my heart, so your wisdom
is appreciated.

Will be more consistent in watering and fertilizing.

Note that I DID let oranges get quite, quite ripe (in fact I lost a
few through cracks in the skin).

Thanks again to all!

Sorry for the late reply. Oranges should *never* split or crack on the tree.
If you leave them on "too long" they should simply drop to the ground.
Splits or cracks are a sign of irregular watering*.
[*] Usually at least, it can be caused by other things but 95% of the time
it's watering issues. The oranges on my biggest container tree are just
starting to turn yellowish and I've lost maybe 8 from splitting. In this
case it's not irregular watering per se that's the issue it's the fact I've
let perhaps 75 fruits set on a tree that's under 6' tall and 5' wide in a 20
gallon container. The roots are struggling to supply enough for all of the
fruits despite the tree being watered every day - sometimes twice if it's
hot - there simply isn't enough root area in such a small container. What
happens is when it rains the foliage takes in water as well as the roots and
the increased water available in the tree goes to the fruits faster than the
skins can stretch to accomodate it.

I could have simply removed half of the fruit just after it set when they
were marble-sized and I wouldn't have this problem - after all there are a
*lot* of fruit on a small tree. However I decided that I'd try to ripen as
many as I can as not only do I eat the fruits but I also candy the peel for
my fruit bread and it's hard to get enough good peel to last the year from
my own container-grown trees.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

On Monday, April 25, 2016 at 6:43:44 PM UTC-7, ~misfit~ wrote:
Once upon a time on usenet Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
On Friday, January 29, 2016 at 11:47:28 AM UTC-8, Hypatia Nachshon
wrote:
Follow-up to "Six Oranges".

Saved for ritual tasting by visiting family. One reported "acidic".
Why?!
I water & feed them regularly; they get plenty of sun; good soil.
My heart is broken. Any thoughts?

HB

Checking in late because of an influx of house guests since early
January - -FIVE in quick succession! Now in recovery; gradually
starting to put life back together and follow up on group.

VERY grateful for scholarly research on this topic! Will study and
integrate info, links, etc. for the next crop, due in about a year.
This is a dwarf Washington that is dear to my heart, so your wisdom
is appreciated.

Will be more consistent in watering and fertilizing.

Note that I DID let oranges get quite, quite ripe (in fact I lost a
few through cracks in the skin).

Thanks again to all!

Sorry for the late reply. Oranges should *never* split or crack on the tree.
If you leave them on "too long" they should simply drop to the ground.
Splits or cracks are a sign of irregular watering*.

[*] Usually at least, it can be caused by other things but 95% of the time
it's watering issues. The oranges on my biggest container tree are just
starting to turn yellowish and I've lost maybe 8 from splitting. In this
case it's not irregular watering per se that's the issue it's the fact I've
let perhaps 75 fruits set on a tree that's under 6' tall and 5' wide in a 20
gallon container. The roots are struggling to supply enough for all of the
fruits despite the tree being watered every day - sometimes twice if it's
hot - there simply isn't enough root area in such a small container. What
happens is when it rains the foliage takes in water as well as the roots and
the increased water available in the tree goes to the fruits faster than the
skins can stretch to accomodate it.

I could have simply removed half of the fruit just after it set when they
were marble-sized and I wouldn't have this problem - after all there are a
*lot* of fruit on a small tree. However I decided that I'd try to ripen as
many as I can as not only do I eat the fruits but I also candy the peel for
my fruit bread and it's hard to get enough good peel to last the year from
my own container-grown trees.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy
little classification in the DSM*."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)
(*Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)

Thanks; very helpful. My little Washington (in the ground, not in pot) has never set more than 12, but I'll keep an eye out in case it gets as prolific as yours.

I've been away since early March; accident, surgery, rehab, PT continuing, Couldabinworse.

Found garden in lousy condition; whathehell was "devoted" gardener doing for 8 weeks?!
I'm not able to do the heavy stuff, but I do what I can.

Good to be back wit' yiz.

Onward!

HB