Why won’t my citrus tree give any fruit? It has heaps of flowers, then they just shrivel up and drop off.
That’s rather annoying isn’t it!
Bud drop can be due to a few reasons
Bud drop reason number one
First and most common is your trace elements in the soil are out of whack. Fruit trees are heavy feeders. So sometimes if we don’t feed them enough of one thing or too much of another the trace elements can go haywire.
I’m no soil scientist so I prefer the easy way of dealing with this.
If I haven’t fertilised in a while, I give my tree a good fertilise with Organic Link (Organic slow release fertiliser)
If I have fertilised I would give it a liquid feed of Plant of Health Eco Friendly Fertilisers Bio Trace. Bio Trace is a product that contains all the major and minor trace elements so I don’t need to be a soil scientist. It gives the soil what it needs and wees out the rest.
With the Bio Trace I Mix it up in water and foliage spray the tree until all the leaves are dripping in Bio Trace. I would then give it another Bio Trace in about a months time. For more information on Bio Trace Click Here
A few weeks later I would also give my tree a handful of sulphate of potash and water it in. Sulphate of potash helps make things flower and fruit.
Bud drop reason number two
Let’s say you did all that and your buds still fell off. How regularly are you watering your tree. Irregular waterings, extended periods of dry or wet, unusual fluctuations in temperature can also make the buds drop off.
Bud drop reason number three
When your tree was in flower you gave it some fertiliser. Excess nitrogen can cause buds to drop. If you want to fertilise your fruit tree when it’s in flower use a product called Plant Care. It will feed your fruit tree but won’t overdo it with unnecessary nutrients.
Bud drop reason number four
Your tree is too young or too unhealthy to hold the flowers. Go back to problem one and start there.