Tangerines aren’t as sweet

Q.  I bought a ficus tree and was told some leaves would fall as the plant adapts to its new location. Just about all of its leaves have fallen. The plant does not look well. What can I do?

 A.  As a ficus tree acclimates it can lose over 50% of its leaves. The limbs, if scraped, should still be green underneath the bark. Water the plant less, making sure the soil is moist but not wet. Move the plant to a higher light level to force out new leaves.

 Q.  I have a tangerine tree that produced sweet fruit at first. Last year the fruit was half sweet and half sour. This year it was all sour. What is going on?

 A.   At some time, limbs arose from below the graft. These would produce sour oranges. Look to find branches coming from near the ground. These need to be cut off. If left on the tree, they will outgrow the sweet sections of the tree.