Blood orange (forum)

jeremy starts with ...
Roughly 3 years ago I bought a blood orange tree from Daleys.
I put it in the ground, and 3 years later it's still essentially the same size. It has grown some new leaves, but really, it's still tiny. The soil it is in is free draining. It gets almost all day sun, and the tahitian lime 3m away (while still young itself) had 10 limes this year.I'm not sure what to do. Give up on it? Rip it out, create a bigger hole, fill it with compost and replant? Add compost to the surface around it? Any ideas? Thanks Jeremy

Time: 21st June 2010 12:19pm

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About the Author jeremy2
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kert says...
Citrus needs serious quantities of nitrogen ; compost ain't enough. Try giving it rotted horse poo or composted chookdoo, 4 or 5Kg . Once a tree loses growth velocity it takes time to re-establish.

Time: 21st June 2010 2:27pm

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amanda says...
Hi jeremy/kert - it has taken 3+ yrs for my blood orange to fruit. But...it is flowering well just recently. Horse poo is not high in nitrogen and it's weedy - avoid it if u can. I would suggest Kert's fave....human poo.... ;-) but can also recommend pig manure (smelly) dynamic lifter (smelly), or Powerfeed....less and often.

This year my blood orange has one orange and is 1.5m tall. My Washington navel is yet to fruit. All other citrus in my orchard are bearing well (same age, same treatment) Don't rip it out - give it some good regular feeding and another year. Post a photo if u can? It may have a deficiency.

Time: 21st June 2010 9:33pm

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About the Author amanda19
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Chris says...
I wouldn't use human waste under any circumstances. Suggesting 3rd world practices along with all the associated problems and risk of disease is NOT a solution.

If it is an Arnold blood orange you are growing, it is a smaller tree compared to most oranges and quite bushy. I also planted a Tahitian lime at the same time as my Arnold and it is greater in height. I haven't checked, but I suspect they are also on different rootstocks, which is probably also a factor.
Poultry manure is preferred for citrus because of the higher nitrogen content. But I also use blood and bone, because of it's higher nitrogen content (8x poultry manure).
I feed my citrus a little bit, often. I think this is important when using organic fertilisers because of the lower nutrient values.
I wouldn't rip it out just yet. See what spring growth you get first, having given it a good feed.



Time: 21st June 2010 11:31pm

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About the Author Chris
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Rev says...
Sorry chris but youve taken the hook on human poo. We are a fecophobic society
Theres nothing inherently bad about it. In fact its the best poo there is
A rich varied omnivorous diet makes the best poo

A steaming hot turd from a healthy person is no risk to anyone if its promptly covered with a damp organic matter/ sawdust/ leaf litter layer.

The way you talk about it youd think it was depleted Uranium. It was just in your body, youve been very very intimate with it the last 8 hours - how bad can it be!

I always see people working with chicken poo - and thats filthy with salmonella, yet they are afraid of their own

3rd world disease comes mostly from putting it in water, where bad microbes proliferate - hence waterborne disease - cholera, dysentery etc. Composted poo never gets that chance and our water stays clean

read more
free e book
http://www.humanurehandbook.com/index.html

yeah i know some people find it unsavoury
yeah well ... get over it

Time: 22nd June 2010 2:36am

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About the Author Rev
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amanda says...
Oops...sorry guys - I was just having a little fun there.. :-)

My fruit trees are fertilised with our toilet water (via biolytix).. but it surprises me that some people even have a "yukk-factor" reaction to eating the fruit!?

Oh well....time and need may see change.

Time: 22nd June 2010 9:25am

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virginny says...
Thoroughly endorse Rev's comments on faecophobia.

Time: 22nd June 2010 9:31am

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Rev says...
as a note
i also had issues with my Arnold blood orange not growing very fast

blood oranges are the best :)
I love it when you hit a seam of red, and theres that mulberry flavour

but you need the cold to get the colour so no good up here :(

Time: 22nd June 2010 3:56pm

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About the Author Rev
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jeremy says...
Hi all,
thanks so much for all the feedback.

Attached is a pic of it... currently about 60cms tall, and as stayed that way for quite some time as mentioned.

Are we suggesting 4 - 5kg of rotted chook manure is the way to go? Even with a tree this size? How often would you suggest that amount? Yearly?

Thanks
Jeremy
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 22nd June 2010 4:43pm

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M Nash says...
I would clear the mulch away, Clear the weeds all around.
Put a bag of cow manure all round (Double the size of the mulch ring in the pic) Then pack on Lucerne all around to smother weeds to a metre either side the the tree.
Also keep the mulch clear of the trunk, The pic shows it too close.
My blood was planted this time last year and was that size when planted. It is now 4-5 foot high.
I also use a complete trace element liquid fertilizer, Both when watering and as a foliar spray every few weeks.
I also have a ten liter bucket with a constant hand full of rooster booster and keep the bucket full of water. It brews in the sun and a liter of this in a 9 liter watering can gets divied out once every other week.

Time: 22nd June 2010 5:22pm

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About the Author MNash1
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jeremy says...
Excellent, thanks M Nash... good advice, i'll give it a go!

Time: 22nd June 2010 5:45pm

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krys says...
I was also looking at a Arnold blood orange, but as per Diggers club I may need a warmer climate.I live in Gippsland and we have the cool nights to bring on the colour but maybe not enough warm days? What do you think

Time: 18th June 2011 6:30pm

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Violet_Cactus says...
Krys, you could always try creating a microclimate for your tree using plenty of masonry such as bricks, stones and rocks to capture the sun's heat during the day and give it off during the night. In England they build walled gardens in which they grow citrus fruits. The gardens have brick or stone walls and lots of paving. Water features such as small ponds are also useful in heat conservation for microclimates. Of course the whole setup would face north and not be overshadowed by trees or buildings.

Time: 18th June 2011 9:16pm

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M Nash says...
Just harvested my first small crop from a 2 year in the ground Blood orange.
(I guess 4 years old from a cutting)
I have to say, They are honey sweet.
Very pleased I made the investment and effort.
I think from memory it was a bunnings grafted job

Time: 9th August 2011 9:21pm

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peetah says...
i just fertilised my blood orange with a soluble fertiliser.i am planning to use dynamic lifter a few weeks into spring.will this be too much nutrients?

Time: 14th August 2011 6:17pm

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M Nash says...
All my citris are starting to sprout new growth and flowers now, I have applied dynamic lifter and sea weed solution now, Also started spraying for pests.

Time: 15th August 2011 1:05pm

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Julie says...
peetah, read the label on the soluble fertiliser. If it is high in nitrogen (most likely) I would be careful of adding any more.

Check the growth when the weather warms up - you can always add some then if you think it needs it. Citrus like to be fed little and often, rather than a lot at once.

Time: 16th August 2011 7:12pm

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amanda says...
That's interesting Julie :) I can't seem to fertilise mine at the "published" critical points on most fert packets, books etc...if they are not fruiting - then they are flowering - there is no breathing space at all - as soon as I pick the last fruits - they flower within the week (but I always prune after the last fruits picked - so not sure if one, or both, events cause the instant flowering?)

It's conventional wisdom that both phases seem to require different minerals (so the gurus say)? eg: not too much nitrogen when they are flowering etc.

So by happy accident/frustration - I tend to fert the way u suggest - and it works beautifully - so far as fruit set and quality is concerned :)

(and the trees are really strong n healthy too - they can carry a full n ripe load in 100km/hr + gusts and don't break a branch or drop a fruit...)

Time: 16th August 2011 11:03pm

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peetah says...
how does too much nitrogen affect a citrus tree?

Time: 19th August 2011 11:05am

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MaryT says...
I think too much nitrogen promotes excessive leaf growth at the expense of flowers and fruit?

Time: 19th August 2011 4:14pm

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amanda says...
Yup Mary T - I think too much can also make the ripening fruit of poor quality too...(according the Ag dept)

I only ever use dynamic lifter (plus manures, straw, and - zinc and iron sulphate once a year in late winter)

I use the D.Lifter quite regularly - just a few big handfuls every month or 2...it's never failed me yet - even in sandy loam. So I agree with Julie there :)

Being slow release - the D.Lifter is constantly feeding the trees - but it's not that high in nitrogen compared with other more specialised fert's - so there is just this constant trickle of food as the tree needs it. That's what I imagine is happening anyway - others may have different methods?

A large hit of nitrogen at the wrong time can mess things up.



Time: 19th August 2011 4:45pm

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