Citrus trees fruit drop

[AngryBird]

I have some mandarins growing and a Lemonade tree, but sadly I have a lot of fruit dropping off.

The mandarins are mostly orange, some are still green, but they fall off the tree and get a brown spot on them that can be about the size of a 5 cents or bigger. Now my lemonades are starting to drop.

Could this be due to the enormous amount of rain we had? I fear my Tangelo and Navel orange will follow in the foot steps if I dont get this sorted out.

Kind regards

[EricL]

Hello @AngryBird

I understand how frustrating it can be to see all that good fruit go to waste. Would it be possible for you to post a few pictures of the fruit and tree? This will allow our members to assess its condition. We can then offer you recommendations on how to treat your fruit trees. Some of the common causes of fruit fall are lack of nutrients in the soil, fungal infection, insect pest attack, extreme temperatures, and water stress.   

If you need a hand posting the pictures, please let me know.

Eric

[joel1964]

Hi I got same problem I watered for 10 mins including spray on the leaf when I see the leaves curling doing at night time. Now the fruit turns yellow and drops 

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @joel1964,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is great to have you with us.

 I would have a look at @Noelle's guide on How to diagnose a sick plant and Bunnings helpful article Growing Citrus Plants as a place to start.

Like @EricL has said, some of the problems that can cause fruit fall include lack of nutrients in the soil, fungal infection, insect pest attack, extreme temperatures, and water stress.

A common cause of fruit fall is overwatering. The heavy rain a lot of areas have been experiencing may be a contributing factor. I would suggest checking the soil is not waterlogged, and if it is, you may want to reduce the amount of watering you are doing. If the soil is draining quite well and is not waterlogged, it may be a lack of nutrients that is causing you issues. You should consider applying a citrus fertiliser such as Yates 500mL Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food to give your tree some food to help with the fruit production.

Allow me to tag some of our resident garden gurus to see if they have any thoughts: @mich1972, @ChloeThomson, @HitOrMiss.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch.

Jacob

[Noelle]

Hi @AngryBird  and @joel1964 

Most fruit trees will naturally drop fruits when they are under stress.  It's a survival and coping mechanism - get rid of the fruits in an effort to stay alive!

Wet soil from ongoing heavy rains and poor drainage and the complete opposite (not enough soil moisture) are both likely culprits

Start by examining the soil and then adapt your gardening practices to improve drainage and/or moisture retention, then look at things like nutrition and the size of the overall crop.

Fruit drop will also occur when there is an enormous crop ripening. Again it's survival but this time because the tree is carrying far more fruit than it is capable of maturing without suffering undue stress or even permanent damage.

[HitOrMiss]

@joel1964 

if possible could you get a few closer pictures ? do you know if the soil has a lot of clay ?
if you can possibly water in the morning that may help, if not it is not the end of the world, most of the time i can only water of an arvo, however it may be best to avoid consistently having the leaves wet of a night, that could create conditions for pest or disease on the leaves.
i am leaning towards a watering issue as well and agree with investigating the soil. if the soil is waterlogged, there will be less nitrogen available to the tree as well.