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Oranges, other fruit splitting? Weather's partly to blame

Environmental factors combine to cause the ripening fruit to burst

Most of the oranges on this Washington navel are 6 to 8 weeks from being ripe, but the split one is a loss. Splits can happen to just a few of the fruit, or the whole tree full.

Most of the oranges on this Washington navel are 6 to 8 weeks from being ripe, but the split one is a loss. Splits can happen to just a few of the fruit, or the whole tree full. Kathy Morrison

We and our gardens all enjoyed the rain last week, but folks with home orchards may have found a downside: Some or all of their not-yet-ripe navel oranges are splitting.

Citrus splitting is not from disease or pests, folks with
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources note. Often it involves a combination of weather and situational issues, such as stressed trees and hot, dry winds. Fluctuations in soil moisture and fertilizer also can bring it on. Oranges are the most susceptible, but mandarins and tangelos can split, too. So can that autumn non-citrus favorite, pomegranates.

What happened this past week was two rainstorms (totaling about .6 of an inch in Sacramento) that followed a long dry period. If an orange tree wasn't being irrigated regularly during October, the tree reacted thirstily when the rain arrived.
The moisture gets sucked up from the roots into the ripening fruit, swelling the juice cells. The rind is not able to expand fast enough to hold the extra moisture, and it cracks open. Any fruit that was sunburned during summer's extreme heat will be more susceptible to splitting.

If your fruit is splitting from navel to stem, pull it off the tree and discard it. It won’t ripen properly, and the exposed flesh will attract pests. Keep your fingers crossed that the rest of the oranges will be able to grow to full sweetness.

Then next year:

-- Establish a regular irrigation and fertilization schedule for your citrus, and stick to it through fall, or until rain is a regular occurence.
-- Pay attention to the National Weather Service forecasts, especially in summer and early fall, and water your tree a few days before hot, windy weather is expected. After the hot spell ends, irrigate lightly, then resume the regular watering schedule.

-- Spread out feeding the tree through the year. Give it small monthly feedings rather than a single large application. A slow-release organic fertilizer is preferred.
-- Spread a good layer of mulch -- at least 2 inches of compost, leaves, straw or wood chips -- over the soil under the tree out to the drip line. But to prevent diseases, avoid mulching within about 6 inches of the trunk.
For an excellent overview of citrus growing and care, see "Citrus Growing in Sacramento" from the Sacramento County master gardeners.
Also, check out the "Celebrating Citrus" event Saturday, Nov. 9, during the Placer County master gardeners' Open Loomis Demo Garden Day, which runs from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Details are here.

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Garden Checklist for week of April 27

Once the clouds clear, get to work. Spring growth is in high gear.

* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash. Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let unwanted plants go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Start thinning fruit that's formed on apple and stone fruit trees -- you'll get larger fruit at harvest (and avoid limb breakage) if some is thinned now. The UC recommendation is to thin fruit when it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 6 inches apart; smaller fruit such as plums and pluots can be about 4 inches apart. Apricots can be left at 3 inches apart. Apples and pears should be thinned to one fruit per cluster of flowers, 6 to 8 inches apart.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

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