Tangerines Bearing Mostly Dry Fruit

Question

My tree is over 15yo. When it started bearing fruit about 2010 they seemed different on parts of the tree and had many seeds. More recent years half are pithy and dry though some are juicy and tasty! This year I had a lot of fruit drop because late summer was very rainy in the TampaBay area. I sampled fruit weekly since late November when most of the green on skins disappeared. Some were already pithy then…one side of the fruit where it was attached to the stem. Sometimes I can predict one is dry by lighter weight/thicker feeling skin but I hesitate to share my bounty. I fertilize twice year and it gets extra water from lawn irrigation when it doesn’t rain. No other tangerine trees around here. Wondering, should I just cut it down or can I help this tree?

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Answer 1

Not enough irrigation and exceptionally hot weather are a couple reasons this can happen. When you water, you should water deeply. Also, too much nitrogen can cause foliage to increase at the expense of fruit. Make sure you are fertilizing appropriately.

These articles should help:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/tangerine/tangerine-tree-care.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/tangerine/tangerine-harvest-time.htm