Small Cara Cara plant with lot of buds

General Fruit Growing
#1

See photos attached. It’s a small plant that I got last year. Should I be removing all the buds?

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#2

It looks yellow in photo. Ph is probably too high. I don’t know about the buds.

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#3

I’d remove all buds. Citrus is good at self regulating but why waste any energy. Feed it with some citrus specific fertilizer and watch it take off. I wouldn’t bother about the ph. That pale color is mostly because of cool winter temperatures and is normal.

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#4

If you keep the bud you will need to feed it with a 3-1-2 fertilizer and provide it with bright light or sun light. Roots need to be kept around 65F-85F. With out good feed long days and strong light your tree could flower itself to death. Is it a Meyer lemon.

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#5

It’s Cara Cara Orange

#6

Oops. I thought it was a blueberry bush!

#7

Severe lack of fertilizer

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#8

Agree the tree has a severe lack of nutrients. I would let it alone, it should abort all the buds. If not, take them off when they get about marble size. Just think if you put a full size cara cara on the the tree. It would break it. It will not get much bigger by fall and can not support even one orange.

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#9

I’d remove stake while young like this

#10

Any specific reason?

#11

I generally let one fruit on the tree to confirm the variety. You don’t need to ripen it all the way, given that this is pigmented CaraCara. Mistakes do happen and I don’t like to wait two years to replace the tree if it’s the wrong variety (of course, not all citrus will produce buds like yours in their first year). However, I agree with folks above. Citrus do struggle in their first year coming off the cold season. As others said, you can pinch the buds now, wait a couple of more weeks and feed some nitrogen. Foliar feeding is an option if you want to feed regularly but avoid over-watering.

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#12

Just buy a 4lb bag of Fox Farm citrus/avocado fertilizer and be done. One cup is all you need, work it in, water a bit. Watch it heals. One bag is good for one tree for two years. $14.00.

#13

The trunk will get stronger with it removed and that will help it hold branches/fruit.

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