Keith, whats the proper time to stress them with a baseball bat....late winter just prior to blossom time...?
Commercial growers stress citrus trees in late Winter, before the buds form. I have little experience with citrus, because I live in Ohio. The only citrus fruit native here is prickly ash, when I cut it back, it produces massive amounts of fruit and a great many more times thorns. I could grow trifoliate orange, but I don't like plants that are super thorny. From years of hunting, trapping and training dogs, I have many encysted thorns in me and I don't want any more. Occasionally an old piece of thorn will puss up and pop out, covered in hard material, my body surrounded it in.
Don't overly beat the tree or you could kill it.
For citrus you can also use:
"Water stress – Briefly reduce watering so the soil dries slightly, then resume normal watering. This can trigger flowering in some varieties, but must be done carefully to avoid damage
Nutrient stress – Reduce or stop nitrogen fertilization a few weeks before flowering; nitrogen promotes leaf growth, while lower nitrogen levels encourage flowering
Cold or heat stress – In mild climates, a short period of cool weather (but not frost) in late winter can stimulate bud formation. In warm climates, a brief heat wave can also trigger flowering, but this is less reliable
Pruning stress – Lightly prune to remove some foliage, reducing leaf area and encouraging the tree to focus on flower buds"
Keith
