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#1
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Orange tree dying
Hello everyone,
I have an old orange tree in northern Florida, about 20 year old I guess, that has been doing badly since last summer. The problem is that the tree is experiencing lots of leaf drop. The leaves become yellow before they drop. I see no obvious signs of pests, such as discoloration. The tree is trying to put out new shoots, but those leaves yellow and fall before too long. The extremities of many of the longer branches are now dead, and I fear that the whole tree is dying. The tree is mulched with pine needles, as it has been for years. A few years ago, the tree was very robust, with lots of growth and a bumper crop of fruit. I believe a former neighbor applied fertilizer. The tree still has some fruit, but no blooms this spring. It has been dry this spring, and I have been watering about 1 - 2 times per week. The tree handled dry spells before without any problems. Does anyone have any ideas? I would hate to lose this tree. Thanks, |
#2
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Orange tree dying
wrote in message ups.com... snip The leaves become yellow before they drop. I see no obvious signs of pests, such as discoloration. The tree is trying to put out new shoots, but those leaves yellow and fall before too long. snip The tree is mulched with pine needles, as it has been for years. It has been dry this spring, and I have been watering about 1 - 2 times per week. The tree handled dry spells before without any problems. Hi, I would suspect foot rot. Lose the mulch and stop the extra watering. Prognosis not good but copper fungicide as a drench might help. A call to the local extension service is advisable. HTH -_- how -- no NEWS is good |
#3
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Orange tree dying
-- Many tree problems are associated with the following: Troubles in the Rhizosphere http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html Unhealthy Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub1.html and Look up "Tree Planting" http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html Improper Mulching - http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub3.html and http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/index.html Look up "Mulch" Improper Pruning http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning/ Improper Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry) http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/CHEM.html Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist http://home.ccil.org/~treeman and www.treedictionary.com Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss. wrote in message ups.com... Hello everyone, I have an old orange tree in northern Florida, about 20 year old I guess, that has been doing badly since last summer. The problem is that the tree is experiencing lots of leaf drop. The leaves become yellow before they drop. I see no obvious signs of pests, such as discoloration. The tree is trying to put out new shoots, but those leaves yellow and fall before too long. The extremities of many of the longer branches are now dead, and I fear that the whole tree is dying. The tree is mulched with pine needles, as it has been for years. A few years ago, the tree was very robust, with lots of growth and a bumper crop of fruit. I believe a former neighbor applied fertilizer. The tree still has some fruit, but no blooms this spring. It has been dry this spring, and I have been watering about 1 - 2 times per week. The tree handled dry spells before without any problems. Does anyone have any ideas? I would hate to lose this tree. Thanks, |
#4
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Orange tree dying
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#6
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Orange tree dying
I would sure get a moisture meter and stop watering if it shows the soil is saturated. If you want a good water meter,
the kind used by orchardists, buy a tensionmeter (www.irrometer.com)...they come in different lengths but in general read further down into the soil than the cheapo moisture meters. I have to tell you I had the same problem as you, but with young orange trees, during the very hot summer last year. I kept watering without checking the soil moisture. The trees just got worse instead of better. Eventually I figured it out and stopped watering. Now just this month two of my newest orange trees, 2 months in the ground, were looking very droopy. I had been watching the 12" irrometer I had bought, it was reading 30 and I had read not to water until it read 60-70. But it was located just outside of the dripline and a cheapo moisture meter pushed in close to the tree trunk showed half dry levels. So I gave the trees a good watering and they started perking up next day, and within two days they were visibly perked up (new growth no longer drooping) and the leaves no longer curling (longitudinal curling). It took 3-4 days for the water to reach the irrometer sensor, 12 inches down and 24 inches from the trunk...then it's reading went to 0. So now I have a standard for these small trees (2 ft-3ft high dwarf Washington Navel and Oro Blanco Grapefruit) . Next time the reading gets to 30, if the trees look un-perky, droopy, or leaves curling, I'll know to water. By the way, a week later and the reading is still at 0 and the soil still feels moist. I almost killed my other young oranges last summer, not to mention apple trees, so I won't water until I see the correct reading. Another thing to do, read this article about using hydrogen peroxide in horticulture, especially the part about supplying oxygen to soil that is saturated with water. That might be a temporary fix for the problem. http://www.socalplumeriacare.com/Faq7.htm. Hope some of this helps. jc wrote in message ups.com... Hello everyone, I have an old orange tree in northern Florida, about 20 year old I guess, that has been doing badly since last summer. The problem is that the tree is experiencing lots of leaf drop. The leaves become yellow before they drop. I see no obvious signs of pests, such as discoloration. The tree is trying to put out new shoots, but those leaves yellow and fall before too long. The extremities of many of the longer branches are now dead, and I fear that the whole tree is dying. The tree is mulched with pine needles, as it has been for years. A few years ago, the tree was very robust, with lots of growth and a bumper crop of fruit. I believe a former neighbor applied fertilizer. The tree still has some fruit, but no blooms this spring. It has been dry this spring, and I have been watering about 1 - 2 times per week. The tree handled dry spells before without any problems. Does anyone have any ideas? I would hate to lose this tree. Thanks, |
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