This course is based on these two manuals. The discussion topic is also from my knowledge of growing and caring for a large home orchard, other research and talking with experienced citrus grove growers.
>Part Three: Useful tips about oranges and other citrus
- Tree storage: Citrus fruit can be stored ripe on the tree for 2 or more months at a time. They can be picked as needed. (They start as a bit tart then slowly the sugar ratio increases as does the juice content. After a few months very little acid remains in the fruit. At that point it is tepid in flavor and then becomes pithy and inedible. These fruits can still be fed to livestock at that point)
- Washing the fruit after you pick it accelerates the ripening process ;-)
- If you get frost damage in the winter it is best to reduce your watering to half of normal. This allows the tree to slowly heal. Don't trim off any frost damaged limbs. Let the tree heal naturally. Some healthy limbs will continue to die while some damaged ones will regain their vigor. Give the tree until fall. Then only trim out any dead wood.
- Gophers: are a consistent danger to your home orchard. metal gopher traps and poison bait will control their antics. (USDA bulletin no. 1709: Pocket Gopher Control)
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc6176/m1/1/?q=pocket%20gopher
- Citrus psyllid: weaken and infect your tree. (Nut and Orchard concentrate can be used to kill these off) Some can cause a fungus disease that will slowly kill off the tree. In this case only a toxic soil drench will save the tree. (this years crop will be lost, it becomes toxic)
- Leaf miner moth: Spray effected leaves with neem oil or orchard spray.
- Ants: they can set up aphid and scale colonies. They farm the nectar off their bug livestock. This just drains the vital energy from the tree (Use Neem oil to smother aphid and scale colonies) Keep doing it every couple of weeks until the ants gives up.
- Fresh squeezed juice or concentrate.
- Citric acid. Lemon oil. Orange oil.
- Fruit pectin from the peels. This can be used as an emulsifier for many types of Jams, preserves and fruit filling recipes. (Wine Jellies, honey jellies, Concentrate)
- There is one main citrus distributer, and it is called Sunkist packing. They will pick, pack and ship your fruit. Many growers cannot afford their services based on water cost, nutrient and maintenance cost of their orchards.
- Find a independent distributor. Few, but worth researching.
- Road side stand. Manned stand, sold out of back of truck or small stand where customer pays the posted cost per bagged item based on trust.
- Online selling, customer will pick up. Just have everything packaged and named.
- Farmers market. Need to have the right licenses and inspection. These can be profitable if regulations are not too high.
- Tree storage: Citrus fruit can be stored ripe on the tree for 2 or more months at a time. They can be picked as needed. (They start as a bit tart then slowly the sugar ratio increases as does the juice content. After a few months very little acid remains in the fruit. At that point it is tepid in flavor and then becomes pithy and inedible. These fruits can still be fed to livestock at that point)
- Washing the fruit after you pick it accelerates the ripening process ;-)
- If you get frost damage in the winter it is best to reduce your watering to half of normal. This allows the tree to slowly heal. Don't trim off any frost damaged limbs. Let the tree heal naturally. Some healthy limbs will continue to die while some damaged ones will regain their vigor. Give the tree until fall. Then only trim out any dead wood.
- Gophers: are a consistent danger to your home orchard. metal gopher traps and poison bait will control their antics. (USDA bulletin no. 1709: Pocket Gopher Control)
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc6176/m1/1/?q=pocket%20gopher
- Citrus psyllid: weaken and infect your tree. (Nut and Orchard concentrate can be used to kill these off) Some can cause a fungus disease that will slowly kill off the tree. In this case only a toxic soil drench will save the tree. (this years crop will be lost, it becomes toxic)
- Leaf miner moth: Spray effected leaves with neem oil or orchard spray.
- Ants: they can set up aphid and scale colonies. They farm the nectar off their bug livestock. This just drains the vital energy from the tree (Use Neem oil to smother aphid and scale colonies) Keep doing it every couple of weeks until the ants gives up.
- ORCHARD SPRAY
https://files.catbox.moe/niqi1b.jpg
- SOIL DRENCH
https://files.catbox.moe/iuft7y.png
- NEEM OIL
https://files.catbox.moe/fi1tu1.jpeg
- Fresh squeezed juice or concentrate.
- Citric acid. Lemon oil. Orange oil.
- Fruit pectin from the peels. This can be used as an emulsifier for many types of Jams, preserves and fruit filling recipes. (Wine Jellies, honey jellies, Concentrate)
Preservers Citrus Pectin Handbook https://files.catbox.moe/inbid6.jpg
- Archive copy
https://archive.org/details/exchangecitruspe00sunk/mode/2up
- Recipe book for producing jams, jellies and juice concentrates on an industrial scale.
- There is one main citrus distributer, and it is called Sunkist packing. They will pick, pack and ship your fruit. Many growers cannot afford their services based on water cost, nutrient and maintenance cost of their orchards.
- Find a independent distributor. Few, but worth researching.
- Road side stand. Manned stand, sold out of back of truck or small stand where customer pays the posted cost per bagged item based on trust.
- Online selling, customer will pick up. Just have everything packaged and named.
- Farmers market. Need to have the right licenses and inspection. These can be profitable if regulations are not too high.