Pollination is a process that brings forth new fruit. It also leads to seeds for many plants, including citrus trees. In the world of seedless citrus, pollination can be a problem. Luckily, there are a few methods of protection you can use to stop pollination from happening.
There are many points to note about the cultivation and propagation of Seedless Citrus.
This blog post will show you how to protect seedless citrus from pollination. But before that, let’s see what pollination is and why you need to stop pollination in the first place.
What is Pollination?
Pollination transfers pollen from the male parts of a flower to the female parts of a flower. This process, also called fertilization, produces fruit. Bees pollinate citrus fruits, but sometimes they can get pollination from other sources.
If this happens, the fruit will have seeds. Seeds are the last thing you want in your citrus if your goal is to grow seedless citrus.
Reasons Why You Need to Protect Seedless Citrus from Pollination
Pollination causes poor-quality fruit and seeds
Most seedless citrus is usually grown in places with other citrus fruit trees nearby. These trees are generally self-pollinating, but they sometimes pollinate each other. Bees and insects can carry pollen produced by one tree to the flowers of another tree. This can lead to cross-pollination, which can cause inferior fruit production.
Pollination can result in unwanted seeds in the fruit throughout the year
When a seedless citrus tree is fertilized by pollen from another tree, it produces low-quality fruits and seeds. You will get a small fruit that tastes bitter or sour when this happens. You will also get fewer seeds than usual, which means your trees will not grow as well as they could have otherwise. In addition, you may end up with seeds in your fruit at all times of the year instead of only during certain seasons like you would have otherwise had.
Now that you understand that pollination is detrimental to your seedless citrus let’s see how to keep pollination at bay.
Methods of Preventing Pollination in Seedless Citrus
If you have a seedless orange tree or any other kind of seedless citrus plant, you need to protect it from pollination. You can use the methods outlined below to stop pollination.
1) Covering the tree with netting or an insecticide spray
2) Keeping the flowers away using physical barriers.
Let’s look at each method individually.
- Covering the Tree with Citrus Netting
One effective way to protect seedless citrus trees from pollination is to cover a citrus tree with a citrus bee netting. The citrus nettings will keep bees from pollinating seedless citruses such as oranges, tangerines, and mandarins. If the flowers of seedless fruits are pollinated, they can develop small pips inside the fruits. To avoid this, the citrus growers keep the bees out.
There are four types of bee netting. You can use a knotless weave pattern that makes it flexible and with a high bee exclusion rate. The recommended type is Diamond Mesh 52.
These citrus nettings are durable, easy to install and remove, affordable, and versatile. You can also use them for different projects. They are also available in different colors, so you can pick a color that blends with your unique farm or orchard. The nets are friendly to the environment.
You can use single-row drapes,multi-row drapes, or single netting to install your netting. To install, follow these steps:
- Make certain you get the proper netting for your citrus trees.
- Level the ground
- Set up the fence so that it runs parallel to the area where you wish your trees to grow,
- Purchase anchor bolts and prepare them
The net is draped over the entire tree’s canopy and secured firmly to the ground. Also, you firmly secure the net on the ground to stop the wind from blowing it away and exposing the tree again.
So, you grow your citrus without worrying about fruit contamination. In addition, the nets safeguard the fruits from bird damage, significantly increasing your yield.
2 Use Physical Barriers
You can also protect seedless citrus from pollination by using a physical barrier or planting it in an area far away from other citrus trees. You can also plant your tree in an area where the wind blows away from other citrus trees. This will keep the tree from being fertilized by pollen from another tree and keep it from producing high-quality fruit in large quantities.
If you live in an area with many nearby citrus trees, you might want to try using a tree bag that blocks pollen from reaching the flowers on your tree. Tree bags work best when put on at least six months before flowering begins.
If you’ve already noticed fruit developing on your tree, though, it’s too late to use this method! You can also stop unwanted pollination by using pom bags and plastic tarps. You can’t be near the tree when the wind blows its flowers away to stop the pollen from moving from one tree to another. Using prom bags will do the trick for you. Just make sure that you take your time attaching it to the tree and that there are no gaps for bees to enter.
Q&A
- Do lemon trees self-pollinate?
Yes, lemon trees self-pollinate.
Lemon trees are actually a type of citron, which means that they’re part of the citrus family. Citrus plants have flowers with both male and female parts, so they can pollinate themselves. When bees are present, they can pollinate the fruit by spreading pollen through the bees.
2. How to avoid lemon tree pollination?
Lemon tree pollination is a process that occurs in the spring, when the flowers of citrus trees open and releases pollen into the air. The pollen is then transported by wind or insects to another tree’s flowers, where it fertilizes them to produce fruit. Citrus Netting can help prevent the pollination of lemon trees.
3. What is the cold hardy lemon tree?
The cold hardy lemon tree is a citrus tree that can withstand temperatures as low as 10°F (-12°C). It produces a very flavorful, bright yellow fruit with a thin rind and juicy, acidic flesh. Unlike other citrus varieties, the cold hardy lemon tree does not require special care or warmth to thrive. It is a robust and healthy tree that can produce a good crop of fruit for many years with minimal maintenance. The cold hardy lemon tree is an ideal choice for those who want to enjoy the delicious taste of citrus in colder climates.
3. Do seedless citrus trees need fertilizer？
Yes, citrus trees need citrus tree fertilizer to provide essential nutrients in order to maintain healthy growth and production. Citrus plant fertilizer should be applied every 4–6 weeks during the growing season, beginning with a light application in early spring. Appropriate applications of citrus fertilizers will help promote new foliage growth, robust flower development, and larger fruit size.
Conclusion
Citrus trees are easy to grow and care for. Citrus trees include the orange tree, grapefruit tree, and lemon tree. They produce a lot of oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and other citrus fruits. Citrus trees can be pollinated by insect-borne pollen from other citrus trees, but sometimes people want to avoid this from happening. To do this, use methods of preventing the fruit from being pollinated.
One way is to cover the tree with netting or an insecticide spray. Another is to keep the flowers away using a physical barrier. There are many ways to keep citrus seedless fruit from being pollinated to have the best quality and the highest yield.
Crop protection netting from Eyouagro is customized to your specific location, crop, and crop type. Eyouagro netting reduces the effects of heat, hail, birds, bats, wind, and sun on your ultimate crop and quality. Our ambition is for you to harvest a high-quality crop.
In the citrus bee netting industry, Eyouagro is the market leader. All crops are shielded by our netting covers. Contact Eyouagro at info@eyouagro.com if you’re thinking of netting. From purchase to installation, we will be there for you.
