My citrus trees look sick this year and have very few fruit?

Question

Last year my orange and grapefruit trees produced for the first time. They were beautiful and loaded with fruit.
This year I have only 8 grapefruit in a bunch on this tree, and about 10 oranges on the orange tree and they look very sick.
I dont even think i would want to eat them this year..thats how bad they look...brown, cracked, and yellowish colored. Not the beautiful oranges I had last year.
I live in Florida, and we have had a "dry" season . Could that be the problem. ???
(i dont like to water them with city water because of chlorine and chemicals)

Answer 1

The chlorine and chemicals normally will not hurt your trees.
Lack of water could do this, Also fertilizer or not getting enough could do this.
But you need to know that fruit trees produce in cycles. It is differient for each kind of fruit.
Like I think if my memory is right that apples have a four year cycle. To start with they have a little fruit then each year they have more and more fruit untill they reach the end of cycle then they have very few fruit and the fruit they have looks real bad.
I think this:
Apples four year cycle
Cherries 7 year cycle
Peaches 4 year cycle and so forth.

Answer 2

I am in South Florida and am a nursery owner. My personal citrus trees got clobbered with 3 hurricanes in 2 years. The last one Wilma in October 2005 wiped a few out the ones I trimmed and re staked up are not looking good either so I have just fed them lightly. Try feeding them a little this month then again in Feburary when they are blooming. Spray with copper will help with fungus. But chances are yours are stressed with the hot dry summer as well as recovering from past hurricanes.

Answer 3

Citrus plants bear lightly every other year. Citrus also have relatively shallow roots.

I can't speak to what a hurricane might do, living in earthquake country myself.

What other water would you water them with-are you buying water at the store for your trees? Do you have your own well? Plants are kinda stupid, they can't tell that you are letting them die because of your admirable principles, and thus bear up nobly without water. I ask because you seem surprised with three question marks, is all.

Answer 4

dry weather could be the culprit or you could have a fungus. You may even have a soil deficiency caused by the dry weather. take a soil sample and send it to your County extension agency and ask them for some advice. I am not very knowledgeable about citrus trees so do some research on line.

Answer 5

I put some of that citrus tree food powder on mine, and it started to look better, got more fruit. After about 3 months of putting it once a week, but it still doesn't look normal, just looks better than it did.

Answer 6

Chemicals or not, you need to keep citrus moist. The plant won't have a problem with those chemicals anyway.

Have a soil analysis done as well to find out what nutrients your soil is lacking.

Answer 7

Maybe they're hallucinating and you look like a giant walking fruit? You reek of vodka anyway so it's only a natural association. I wish I smelled like coffee with Baileys in it.

Answer 8

If it was really dry then it`s a great possiblity.