Want info on dwarf orange tree

I bought (2) 2 yr old Dwarf Orange trees about nine months ago. Fruits ripen very small - is it just young or am I doing something wrong???? Thanks for any info.

Well! A bigtime Welcome to DG, msailaway!

I'm no citrus expert (except when it comes to eating them). However, I've noticed when my lemons and kumquats are small in size it's cuz I haven't been feeding them well. (Mine are in big pots so maybe that could be a reason also.) What I do is give them a "treat" when the fruit is just forming, and still small. Perhaps this gives the plant energy to put into the fruit. (Don't go for high nitrogen tho.)

I'm sure others will be by to say Howdy.
Again, Welcome!

Dear Horseshoe,

I give them miracle grow about twice a month. Do you have any
sugestions. Thanks for the welcome everyone here is so nice!!!!

I tend to use non-chemical plant foods (non-chemical meaning man-made in this case).

I would lean towards a higher phosphorus food. Don't know what you have readily available but try 4 parts coffee ground, 1 part bone meal, 1 part wood ash (hardwood). That little bit of wood ash won't have a big pH effect on your soil. However, if your soil is already alkaline you may want to shy away from it. If it is very alkaline that could be your problem to begin with anyway.

If you want to go to the store buy some fish emulsion and some liquid kelp. Mix them according to instructions and feed by spraying on the foliage and dumping any excess into the soil. That should give your plants a good kickstart! (Then feed monthly unless you see good growth coming on.)


This message was edited Dec 9, 2003 1:22 PM

Thanks - I (hang my head in shame) have not checked on the PH of my soil - So I will do that first and then try fish emulsion/liquid kelp - I think I have seen both here. Thanks Horseshoe!!!

We have a dwarf Moro blood orange and the first few years the fruits were so small I called them "the world's smallest". Actually I can't say that it WASN'T just because the tree so young, but between some *nice* growth on the tree and the fact that I fed several times over last summer with Dr.Earth (specific for citrus or fruit trees, I forget the formulation), this winter's oranges were nice-sized tho' not super-sized.

Dr.Earth's is a line of fertilizers that also include bacterial inoculants... don't know if they are available where you are. I usually make up two batches of "sun tea" from each lot, sharing it around, and then work the 'dregs' into whichever plant looks most deserving.

-- E.
Elizabeth in S.California