Posted by summers_end (My Page) on
Mon, Apr 17, 06 at 13:21

my Mother who lives in Central Florida has a grapefruit tree that was not producing anything. The soil is alkaline as far as I know. She had a friend who recommended she drive a rusty nail into the trunk of the tree and see if it helped the tree produce.
Lo and behold, every year since the tree has exponentially produced grapefruit!! Now I hear explanations regarding iron deficiancy, but would like to hear a scientific explanation for how this helped?
I have another theory, but it is not tested and I would love to have any experts shed some light on this. Could the production of fruit be related to stress from the nail, in turn triggering a "survival mechanism" which in turn creates fruit, which of course have seeds to perpetuate the species??? Far stretch, but I do not like old wives tales as an explanation, and I must understand this phenomenon!! Please advise

Here is a link that might be useful: About the rusty nail water/iron

I have read about others doing this also.

It's not just the Iron though. Stressing trees at the right time will stimulate flowering or increase them.

This document has good info on how stress affects sub / tropical plants.

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/AD5.pdf

check this video out, a guy torturing his tree :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhp3cJ-klfs

So I can see how the nail would can work, adding both iron and stress.

most plants are stressed naturally. but lets say you have a tree that "needs" a good drought period to produce well, but is now so large that it has roots that reach way down into the aquifer, i do not see this tree being stressed do to the lack of moisture anymore.

I dug up a hole a few years back and hit water at around 6ft here in Hollywood. so obviously there is no way my Mango tree which is 30ft high will need to be watered anytime soon.

pruning and cold winters I suspect are what keep Mangoes stressed in Florida.

In the Dominican Republic. The mango plantations that do the best are in semi-arid areas of the country. dry winters, and a little rain in the summer. water table is 150ft down.

Lots of interesting informations there Tropic Dude

my aunt's coworker said he used a nail and didn't need to hand pollinate his cherimoya.

I just remembered this and had to add this other use for nails, apparently you can change the sex of a papaya tree from male to female by driving a nail in the trunk.

what you get a a funky looking papaya tree with fruit dangling.

Here is a link that might be useful: Funny papaya tree

Some advise rusted nail, some rusted can under the tree. Try the Polish method: On Christmas Eve take an ax, go to the orchard to the tree never bearing fruits and ask the tree: Will you have fruits next year? The tree most likely will answer No. Ask the tree one more time: Will you bear fruits next year? The tree will most likely answer No. Then put the ax to the tree trunk and ask: "Will you have fruits next year? Otherwise I will cut you down!" In such situation the tree will most likely answer Yes, and your problem will be resolved.