Fruit Tree won't hold its Flowers

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.

What's wrong with my Citrus trees?

Citrus trees are prone to Leaf Curl and Leaf Miner.

Both these problems are mainly caused by insects.

Leaf Curl can be attributed to sap-sucking pests like aphids, mites and psyllids who feed on citrus leaves by extracting the juices directly from transport tissues. As populations grow, they can cause deformations including curling and cupping in leaves, as well as discoloration.

Leaf Miner are another insect, moth larvae. Instead of sap-sucking, moth larvae tunnel through leaf tissues as they grow. These tunnels are highly visible on leaf surfaces, appearing as white or yellow lines.

I find the best way to deal with both of these pests is just trim off the affected leaves. If you wanted to spray BFA certified organic sprays like Eco-oil or Eco-fend would work. I find if I mix a little neem oil with my liquid fertiliser (Plant of Health's Triple Boost) and use it fortnightly it also reduces the harmful insect population. I try to work from a place of prevention is better than cure.

If your plants are badly affected a weekly spray for at least four weeks with Plant Care and Neem Oil, mixed together might be your magic pill! 

Why Neem Oil and Plant Care?

Neem Oil is derived from the Azadirachta indica tree. When applied to insects and the plants they are eating, neem oil causes many insects to feed less, grow more slowly, molt less, and lose interest in laying eggs. Neem also suppresses the hatching of pest insects from their eggs.

Plant Care is like a vitamin pill for plants or when they’re sick or stressed. Plant Care contains natural liquid fish proteins, amino acids, liquid vermicast, fulvic acid, natural growth stimulants as well as a special blend of selected herbs and botanical extracts. Plant Care is a natural, non toxic foliar spray and can be used regularly on all plants, vegetables and lawns without the fear of NPK overload or plant damage.

Drought stress can also lead to leaf curl in citrus and is the easiest to remedy. If leaves begin to curl inward while retaining their green colour and the soil around your tree feels dry to the touch, you’re not watering enough. Step up your watering efforts and applying an organic mulch if you haven't already. If you are watering regularly then a soil wetter may be necessary. Soil Wetters help water and nutrients penetrate into the soil enabling the plants roots to pick up what they need.

Nutrient deficiencies can also lead to leaf curl. Citrus trees are very heavy feeders.

My citrus trees get Organic Link every three months and I try to liquid fertilise them fortnightly. I also like to give my trees a liquid fertilise with a complete trace element mix (I use Plant of Health's Bio-Trace) twice a year as part of my normal fertilising regime.

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” Martin Luther

I think the world would be a better place if we all took Martin Luther’s advice. We do not know what tomorrow will bring but we do know what we can do today for a better tomorrow!