Comments on: How an Esrog (Etrog) Tree Grows

By: David_Wiseman

David_Wiseman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:52:29 +0000

Miracle Grow would work, but Miracid (or equivalent) is slightly better as they prefer acidic (or should I say chasidic) soil. Watch out for yellowing of the leaves which usually means the tree needs magnesium. Put 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salts in a gallon of water and use this to water the tree. Us once a month.
Flowering is also a function of cold stress. In the winter they need some cold shock to get them to flower. Keep them outside for as long as you dare and bring them in if the overnight temp will go below about 35 F.

By: Anita Tichenor

Anita Tichenor — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:49:37 +0000

I have one etrog that we have had for several years and would like to know what kind of fertilizer it needs. It once had what appeared to be a flower, but it never fully bloomed so no fruit. Can you let me know if it prefers acidic or alkaline soil?
Thank you.

By: Martin

Martin — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:19:33 +0000

I germinated some seeds (7) a few weeks after succos and planted them in some small containers. I am now replanting them into larger containers and I was surprised. 2 of the plants developed very long (longer than 3 ft) “tap roots” in addition to a small ball of roots near the base of the plant. Those “trees” are only about 1 ft tall. 2 others are about the same height, but did not have any tap roots – just the small ball.

The seeds came from 3 different esrogs – one with a pitum, 1 from kfar chabad w/o pitum and one from italy w/o pitum. Unfortunately over time, I lost track which is which.

Is the tap root something that they will all develop? Is it species dependent? Any recommendations about care? I live in Carlsbad, California near the coast and have been keeping the trees outside in partial sun. I water only when the ground looks noticeably dry. I found some cactus/citrus tree potting soil and I am trying it out.

Thanks

By: Avrohom

Avrohom — Sun, 08 May 2011 12:33:07 +0000

Hello. I was wondering I you can offer me advice on how to get my esrog tree to bloom. I started it from seed in August 2005 and planted it in the ground June 2009. I live in Monsey NY, but I have a south facing house which gets the full winter day’s sun. I built a greenhouse around the tree, which I erect every fall and take apart in the spring. Daytime temperatures average around 85 degrees during January!! Nighttime temperatures are kept at a steady 58 degrees. The tree grows like crazy (I have to trim it for obvious reasons); however, I have not gotten it to blossom. Can you offer some suggestions on what I can do to get the tree to flower? Perhaps I don’t prune it correctly. I also don’t know anything about fertilizer.

Thanks

Avrohom

By: admin

admin — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:50:37 +0000

They can be extremely temperamental plants – depending on the environment and, especially, the winter temperatures, you may not get a regular fruit yield. California has the most stable climate, which is why we base most of our growing in that region.

By: shmuly

shmuly — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:21:21 +0000

We’ve got our esrog tree planted and growing for six years now. We prune it fertilize it and care for any bug infestation, but we still never got any fruits.