Healthy Plant Food: Q&A from Mr Booster
Why my Sapodilla is not fruiting?
Q: I bought a Sapodilla tree from you several years ago, Silas
Woods. I live in Houston area. The tree grows and produces blossoms for fruits,
but then they just dry up and fall off. To-date, I have not gotten any
fruits off the tree. Is there a reason for this? I really want a fruiting tree
because Sapodilla is one of my favorite fruits. I have attached pictures of the
tree. Please help.
A: Silas Woods is a free-flowering variety and in favorable conditions it
should produce fruit almost year round, considering warm temperatures. The
fact that the tree is producing flowers indicates that it is strong, overall
healthy and ready for production, but for some reason these flowers don't set
fruit. There may be several reasons for such behavior.
1) Too high temperature and too low humidity
In Houston area, humidity should be good in summer. However, if
temperatures stay above 90F for a long time, this may cause flower dry-n-drop.
Solution: try to move the potted tree into filtered light, or in a
spot where it does not get direct burning sun during the hottest hours of the
day (morning sun is the best)
2) Root bound.
Solution: check if the tree needs stepping up into a larger
container.
3) Lack of certain nutrients that are responsible for proper fruit
formation.
In particular, elements B (Boron), Mo (Molybdenum), and a few other
micro-elements (Fe - iron, Cu - Copper, etc.). This is most likely the cause of a
flower drop. This is very common reason for undeveloped fruit or lack of fruit
in container-grown fruit trees. When grown in the ground, plants can reach
out to all necessary elements in surrounding soil (considering soils are not
too poor on necessary elements). In a pot, a supply of nutrients can be
exhausted very quickly, so a quality fertilizer program is very important.
Fertilizer must include all necessary nutrients in easy accessible form, and a plant
must have their constant supply for proper development.
Solution: prescribe to your Sapodilla tree the following combination
of plant food:
- SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster. It will provide
well-balanced amounts of high absorption Nitrogen, as well as other macro-elements - to
provide enough energy to the tree, plus a combination of all necessary
micro-elements. It is safe to apply this fertilizer as frequent as with every
watering, including winter time.
- SUNSHINE-Honey - sugar booster. This supplement has a high content of
elements Mo and B - once the tree starts getting them on regular basis (a few
times a year, according to the label), it will change its habit dropping
flowers and/or premature fruit drop. As extra bonus, Sunshine Honey makes fruit
sweeter by bringing sugars from all over the plant and concentrating them into
fruit.
4) Lack of pollinating insects.
Solution: For most effective pollination, we always recommend to put
some pieces of fruit under the tree, apple peels, or even banana peel. Those
attract tiny beetles that are responsible for small flower pollination.
With winter time approaching, fruiting season is about to end, however,
do not get discouraged and start the fertilizing program right away: this
will bring up the plant into a healthy stage within a few months, and by next
season it should be covered with fruit you like so much! Remember, Sunshine
liquid fertilizers can be used year round, including winter, without a risk to
burn roots or overdose, as long as you follow label instructions.
SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster from Garden Series, or Combo
Total Feed Collection - all nutrients in just one bottle, for fruit trees and
edibles.
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