Fertilizing Oranges

Categories: Soils, Fertilizers and Irrigation

What is the general and what do you consider the ideal, manuring, and

when applied for orange trees from 15 to 12 years old under irrigation?

I use about 2 cwt. each of superphosphate, nitrate of soda and sulphate

of potash per acre, but am dissatisfied with my yields as compared with

yours in California.



There is not only no standard for fertilizing orange trees, but there is

no "ideal" which might be co sidered as a basis for a standard. All

growers who are awake to the necessity of doing something for bearing

trees, try all things and hold fast to what (they think) is good.

Practically none of them has any enduring conviction or demonstration as

to what is good, but they keep on trying. There is, however, one clear

and enduring conviction, and that is, that continuous fertilizing must

be done for profit, and our best growers are using the same materials

you mention in considerably larger amounts than you apply, and use also

other forms of nitrogenous fertilizers. The amounts of superphosphate

and nitrate which you use would be considered homeopathic treatment by

our growers.