Orange tree

Ralph96



Joined: 01/07/2008
Posts: 531

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 03:31

Hello All,



Approximately one year ago I purchased a mature orange tree my builder

And his men delivered and planted, the tree has done nothing is it dead or

will it just take time?

AlsancakJack



Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 5762

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 09:20

It will take time, 1 to 2 years before it sorts itself out. Are there any new shoots/foliage on it yet?

I have orange and mandarin trees and the mandarin trees probably take longer to establish than orange trees. Is your orange tree grafted?

It maybe that the topsoil (if you were given any by your builder!) is not as good as it could be. Goats manure is recommended for feeding fruit trees so go and see your local goat herder and get a sack or two to give your tree and the rest of your garden a good feed.

AJ

Ralph96



Joined: 01/07/2008
Posts: 531

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 09:26

AJ,



No shoots nothing will try goat manure, cheers.

Turbo


Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 833

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 10:19

Citrus tree's don't like too much water, don't over water. if its still green, its not dead.

Does it have leaves?

Ralph96



Joined: 01/07/2008
Posts: 531

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 10:43

Turbo,



The tree does not have leaves, i scraped off a small piece of bark and its still green i water it every other day.

Turbo


Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 833

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 10:46

Way too much water, you're going to rot the roots, specially in winter. also if you add goat manure, make sure you blend it in with the dirt, otherwise it could burn the soil.

if it is in a pot water once a week, if its in the ground, stop watering.

How big is the tree. size of trunk and height.?

Turbo


Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 833

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 10:54

Also if it has a lot of thin spindly branches ( twigs) i would I would give it a good prune in Jan. Feb. and leave it alone . Let it settle.

If its going to survive you should see new buds around March. Good luck.

Ralph96



Joined: 01/07/2008
Posts: 531

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 10:58

The trunk is 5" in diameter and 4 feet tall with just stumps sticking out of it,

as you can probably tell i did not do any gardening before i moved to Cyprus.

Turbo


Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 833

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 11:11

Just leave it alone for the time being, but definitely stop watering.

keep an eye on it if you see buds forming and the weather has been dry, water lightly once a week increasing to more as the weather heats up.

Love and care and you will be rewarded with the sweet smell of orange blossom in late spring.

Ralph96



Joined: 01/07/2008
Posts: 531

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 11:15

Cheers Turbo,



I also had a mature lemon tree planted at the same time that started then stopped then started again.

Turbo


Joined: 24/12/2006
Posts: 833

Message Posted:
24/12/2008 11:25

They take a while to settle. Hopefully after all this it will bear fruit, otherwise it will need grafting.

I had a sweet lemon that took forever to get going, then it died. It was in a large pot and I over watered, thats how I learned..

Time for bed, goodnight from Hollywood. its 1.20 am.