10 year+ orange (and other citrus) at low elev.

[StillHope]

How big are your citrus trees (orange in particular)at low elevation?
I am at about 130 elevation .
My neighbors have 3-4 year old citrus trees and they are very small though not a dwarf variety.

So I am thinking to plan a Lane orange tree about 10 feet from the house.
I gave my other big trees like mango plenty of space but if orange tree doesn't get big I'd really like to save on space on my very small lot.
Would appreciate your input.

___________________________
Whatever you assume,please
just ask a question first.

[Rene Siracusa]

Don't judge by your neighbor's trees. They could be a different variety, on different rootstock, or they could not have dug a large enough hole when planting. If the planted the tree rootbound without loosening the roots, that would also affect the growth. The roots would just keep growing around in a circle without spreading out. It is a tendancy here, when planting in lava or where there are a lot of rocks, to make the hole too small and save space by not spreading out the roots to fill the hole. And maybe they haven't fertilized...

My recommendation is to assume that YOU will do it right, and allow enough space - even tho' you have a small lot. There are lots of plants you can always fill in with later if necessary.

[StillHope]

Thank you,Rene.So how big is an average orange tree if everything done
right? I usually do 2x2 ft hole.

___________________________
Whatever you assume,please
just ask a question first.

[missydog1]

I would recommend planting an orange tree. A full sized citrus tree gets to the size where you need a tall ladder to harvest the top branches. Actually my neighbor's tree I need to get up to top of stepladder to get even partly up the tree. I've had other old citrus trees here that were really big, at least 15 feet in diameter of branch coverage and as much or more in height. They were way out of scale for home pruning.

[Carey]

Under 500'elev - quite a few orange varieties, most 30+ years, with a couple that are 4yr
4 yr old are a little taller than me....so over 5'5"ish....
with annual pruning navels stay nice at ~24' tall and around (as tall as I can reach with the ladder..), seed oranges less diameter, more height (and tangerines can go wild, quickly even with an annual trim...)

When we bought the place, we bought it mainly for the orange tree (it is a REALLY good orange... why else would we have bought this place???) Past owner said to give them 10-10-10 every April & August. Since our citrus knowledge was zilch, that is what we do & the orange is still one of the best ;~)

[csgray]

Carey and any other gardeners,
If you ever have more ripe fruit than you can use I would love to be able to feed my 4th period class some. They are so hungry right before lunch that they are totally bonkers! I figure if I gave everybody an orange or a banana 1st thing, they would settle down and do some actual learning.

Carol

[Rene Siracusa]

to csgray: I have choke lilikoi right now. At what school do you teach? Pahoa El is easy for me, as is HAAS.

You can control the size of your citrus (any kind) if you start pruning when they are young, but (caveat)if you overprune you can sap the trees strength and resilience. First step is to prune off any dead wood. Step 2 is prune off any branches growing in toward the center. Think champagne flute shape, open in the center. This is so the sun can reach all the fruit, and you don't want branches rubbing against each other, as that can cause bark damage and create an opening for insects and disease. In most cases that's the most you need to prune. Always prune back to the branch collar (sort of like the shoulder)and not too close to the trunk or too far so that you leave a stump. Even with pruning, your citrus will eventually get to about 20 feet tall and about the same around. In my mature orchard the trees are planted about 30 feet apart and still some years I have to cut back branches that are too long and rub against the neighboring tree. Hope this helps.

[csgray]

I'm at Connections in Hilo but I would be glad to pick up. This is the last week before the October break but if your fruit is still on after the 11th I would love some.

Mahalo,

Carol

[Rene Siracusa]

I am coming into Hilo on Friday, and can bring the lilikoi with me. Where is Connections located?

[csgray]

Mahalo Rene,
We are out of school for a full week for October break starting Friday. I think the lilikoi would rot before we got back so please don't drop any off. Some good fairy dropped a box of oranges by today marked Carol Gray 4th period, so we are good for the rest of the week. I can't wait to see those kids faces when they get an unexpexted snack! For future reference Connections K-8 is on the Bayfront, in the old Kress building.
Mahalo again, though.

Carol