Citrus Bearing Trees from Flowering to Mature Fruit
September 09, 2016
Photographer: Menashe Davidson
Summary Author: Menashe Davidson
Flowering is a critical step in fructification. Under subtropical climate conditions, inflorescences in most citrus cultivars are formed during the spring flush of growth as a response to the lower temperatures of the winter season. Citrus trees form exceedingly more flowers higher than the number of fruits harvested; typically, less than 3 percent of the initial flowers produce harvestable fruit.
The collage above was made from photos taken in my citrus plantation in Tira, Israel. At top left are blossoms of Michal Clementine oranges. Bloom typically occurs in late March or early April. At upper right, the post-bloom drop is shown. In late April and early May the ground in my orchard is littered with fallen flowers. The photo at lower right shows maturing fruit in late summer. Approximately 10 percent of the fruit on a given tree will drop for various reasons and is lost before harvest which occurs in late fall (lower left). However, proper care and watering can increase harvest totals even during very hot and dry summers.