Q: I have a navel orange tree in my yard and I noticed this year that as the oranges are getting ripe in many cases they are splitting in half and falling off the tree. Not sure why or what would cause this. Any feedback would be great.
A: Oranges often split due to uneven irrigation. We usually notice this after significant rain events. The trees are unaccustomed to a lot of water at once and the split fruit is the result. The way to mitigate this is to water the trees more deeply throughout the year so that large amounts are less of a shock to their system.
For citrus, the recommendation is to provide water every seven to 10 days in the summer to a depth of 36 inches. In the fall and spring you can adjust the timing to once every 10 to 14 days and in the winter once every 14 to 21 days. Using a drip irrigation system is best and the emitters should be arranged in a circular fashion near the drip line of the tree. Based on the size of your tree, four emitters would be sufficient.
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Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Email questions to
