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Oranges, other fruit splitting? Weather's partly to blame

Environmental factors combine to cause the ripening fruit to burst

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Kathy Morrison PUBLISHED NOV 7, 2024

Most of the oranges on this Washington navel are 6 to 8 weeks from being ripe, but the split one is a loss. Splits can happen to just a few of the fruit, or the whole tree full. Kathy Morrison

We and our gardens all enjoyed the rain last week, but folks with home orchards may have found a downside: Some or all of their not-yet-ripe navel oranges are splitting.

Citrus splitting is not from disease or pests, folks with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources note. Often it involves a combination of weather and situational issues, such as stressed trees and hot, dry winds. Fluctuations in soil moisture and fertilizer also can bring it on. Oranges are the most susceptible, but mandarins and tangelos can split, too. So can that autumn non-citrus favorite, pomegranates.

What happened this past week was two rainstorms (totaling about .6 of an inch in Sacramento) that followed a long dry period. If an orange tree wasn't being irrigated regularly during October, the tree reacted thirstily when the rain arrived.

The moisture gets sucked up from the roots into the ripening fruit, swelling the juice cells. The rind is not able to expand fast enough to hold the extra moisture, and it cracks open. Any fruit that was sunburned during summer's extreme heat will be more susceptible to splitting.

If your fruit is splitting from navel to stem, pull it off the tree and discard it. It won’t ripen properly, and the exposed flesh will attract pests. Keep your fingers crossed that the rest of the oranges will be able to grow to full sweetness.

Then next year:

-- Establish a regular irrigation and fertilization schedule for your citrus, and stick to it through fall, or until rain is a regular occurence.

-- Pay attention to the National Weather Service forecasts, especially in summer and early fall, and water your tree a few days before hot, windy weather is expected. After the hot spell ends, irrigate lightly, then resume the regular watering schedule.

-- Spread out feeding the tree through the year. Give it small monthly feedings rather than a single large application. A slow-release organic fertilizer is preferred.

-- Spread a good layer of mulch -- at least 2 inches of compost, leaves, straw or wood chips -- over the soil under the tree out to the drip line. But to prevent diseases, avoid mulching within about 6 inches of the trunk.

For an excellent overview of citrus growing and care, see "Citrus Growing in Sacramento" from the Sacramento County master gardeners.

Also, check out the "Celebrating Citrus" event Saturday, Nov. 9, during the Placer County master gardeners' Open Loomis Demo Garden Day, which runs from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Details are here.

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

oranges citrus orchard fruit backyard orchards soil moisture fall November weather rain Sacramento gardening UCANR UC master gardeners mulch

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Garden checklist for week of May 10

Take it easy during that high heat – then get to work! Your garden is calling.

* Remember to irrigate your tender transplants. Seedlings need consistent moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants. Water early in the morning for best results.

* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)

* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.

* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.

* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.

* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.

* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.

* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.

* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.

* Don’t forget to weed! Those invaders are growing fast.

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