Why do my orange trees produce sour oranges?
Hi Shirley, There are several possible answers: 1. There are many types of oranges and your is sour in it’s nature (some prefer it sour). 2. You pick the fruit before it is wripe. 3. The trees don’t get enough light / sun. 4. The soil is not good for oranges. You can try change one tree (actually you can add a branch of “sweet orange” to your tree (I don’t know the English terminology for it, but you sure know what I mean) and see if that is the reason. I have several trees who used to give very few fruits. I treated them poperly and this year I enjoy a prosporous harvest (many many boxes from each tree).
I’m not sure if this will help but I will tell you what I know. First your soil must be well drained. Make sure to add enough humus to your soil so it is not to sandy or clayey and is well drained but not dry. A good way to do this is to underplant your trees wilth a grean crop such as beans, cowpeas, or beggarweed. This will add nutrients (nitrogen) to your soil and tilling them into the soil when mature will add the organic humus you need. Usually oranges take fertilizer in the following amounts 8% phosphoric acid, 10% potash, and 3% ammonia (50 lbs per tree three times a year), but California soils are thought to contain enough phosphoric acid and potash so nitrogenous fertilizers are the only fertilizer needed. Do a soil test to be sure what you have. Fertilizer should be added three times a year Feb. June, and Sept. You can get a kit from the local Ag agency to test the soil and they will send you the results. Hope this helps.
