Dwarf orange problem

[Persephone]

During last year's landscape of back yard, I put a dwarf orange among the plants. It had several oranges on it, and when they ripened, I ate them with real reverence.

Following spring, it had a LOT of blossoms, and I had high hopes.

All blooms fell off. No oranges.

Terribly disappointed.

Question: Could this have anything to do with its proximity to a rapidly-growing bamboo? I keep the B. cut back so it doesn't shade too much, and I do fertilize the Orange with a product that is supposed to work on the soil rather than directly on the plant.

Am going to move the Orange to a better location, where I hope it will do better.

Meantime, would be very interested in any feedback on why all the blooms fell off...

Thanks for your advice.

[David Ross]

Sometimes, citrus will become alternating-year bearers. This mostly affects those that have specific seasons (e.g., oranges) and not those that are everbearing (e.g., lemons).

Also, applying fertilizer during or just after bloom can cause fruit drop.