Question
I have a blood orange tree in a container. The first 2 years the tree produced fruit. Last year, the tree had healthy leaf growth but no flowers at all. What do you think the problem could be?
Barbara
Kentfield
Answer
The Blood Orange does not respond well to great fluctuations in humidity. Flowers do not set well when the air is very dry. They dry up too quickly and die before being pollinated. I suspect that last year's extremely dry weather was the cause. Other sensitive citrus such as Mandarin and Meyer lemon had the same trouble. Your tree should be getting ready to flower again this spring. Thankfully, we have had some rain and water evaporating from the soil will increase the humidity around your tree. When it is hot and dry in the spring, you may want to hose the plant down in the mornings to prevent flower loss.
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