Hi all,
I have an orange tree that is blooming - yipee! Now if I want fruit, do I have to hand fertilize it? It is a Navel orange and is currently residing in my basement. It has about 8 flowers on it and maybe a few more to come. The plant is about 3 feet tall.
The lemon trees are starting to get buds as well so I might as well ask about them too!
Thank you for your help!
Tamberlin
help with orange & lemon flowers please
If it's indoors you probably ought to hand pollinate. If it were outdoors then the bees would take care of it for you, but indoors I think it'll need some help.
Should I use a paintbrush? Just brush it over the stamens etc.?
Thanks!
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg1221430215122.html
I googled "hand-pollinate citrus", and the above seems like it might answer your question. Take a look.
Thanks pairodocks, I was wondering tha same thing as my lemons are blooming and they are in the house. Very helpful site.
Ok, is this what I think it is???
Hopefully a baby orange?
Yep...congrats on your new baby(s)...looks like another one at right of pic.
Almost all citrus is self compatible so having only one plant is fine-no need for cross-pollination. Wouldn't work with apples though. If I wanted to grow apples here, I'd have to keep at least two trees in the refrigerator. Probably easier to just go buy some fruit.
Hi OldNed
I think I've got 3! baby oranges on that one stem. Can you give me any advice on how to fertilize and support them once (hopefully) they start getting bigger? Approx. how long do they take to grow?
As for other fruits - I'm trying a bunch of "combo" trees this year: yellow/red delicious apples (both varieties grafted onto the same rootstock), yellow/purple plums, yellow and red cherries and two varieties of asian pear together. They are coming from Starks. I also ordered a tangerine tree so the oranges and lemons would have company.
Thanks for your help!
tamberlin;
The above picture of your citrus' blossom transition into a sterile ovary. It will eventually fall off if you didn't hand pollinate it. I too just learn of this recently. So I'm rushing to the GH and use an artish brush to hand pollinate mine today. Procastinate tomorrow, as my DD has said. lol.
Happy gardening.
Hi Lily,
I did TRY to hand pollinate with a paintbrush. The pollen didn't seem to move, however. I'm hoping some of it did make it to the pistil of the flower. The biggest one certainly LOOKS like a baby orange....
I'll keep you posted. My biggest fear is that some environmental change,heat, light dogs playing, will knock it off....