4 year lime will not set fruit (forum)

stuart starts with ...
what am i doing wrong tree has lots of flowers,gets smallfruit but within a days it all falls of

Time: 18th February 2008 1:46pm

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About the Author stuart1
brisbane
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Diane says...
Hi Stuart. I have a gardeners book with some information about citrus trees in general. It's a fair bit of fine text to read through, but it all depends on the location of the tree, level of nutrients you give it, etc.

I'll summarise a bit and maybe you can work something out. Otherwise your best bet is to go to a good garden centre and speak to a horticultorist.

In general:
* don't need cross-pollination
* high growth period coinsides with periods of high temperature.
* have shallow roots, but need to be well drained otherwise roots will rot
* Moderate acidic to slightly alkaline soil ideal
* moderately heavy nutrient requirements
* good sunny position

Have a look at the leaves on your tree as they are good indicator of nutrient defiency. Which type of lime is it by the way? My book talks about Mexican and Tahiti limes.

I had a granny smith apple tree which I grew from seed. Didn't take fruit until it was 8 years old. But citrus may be different. Fruit trees in general usually do better if they've been grafted onto a good root stock. It says that Mexican limes are usually grown from seed, but Tahiti limes can be grafted onto rootstocks from "trifoliate orange", "sweet orange", "rough lemon", "troyer citrange" and "cleopatra mandarin".

I know this doesn't directly answer your question, but hopefully it's given you some food for thought to see where your problem lies.

Time: 28th February 2008 12:56pm

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About the Author Diane5
Penrith
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Kath says...
Susanna Lyle says in her book, Discovering Fruit and Nuts

On poor soils fruits form thicker skins and have less juice. They like regular moisture and warmth year round. Trees are relatively nutrient hungry, but do not need much nitrogen, which increases leaf growth at the expense of fruit. Traditionally well rotted seaweed is used giving good levels of potassium, this reduces leaf growth but encourages fruiting. Apply a well balanced citrus fertilizer, with micronutrients about 2-3 times a year.

Time: 28th February 2008 2:03pm

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About the Author Greg1
Daley's Nursery, Kyogle
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