[ExI] rims bear fruit

[spike at rainier66.com]

Topic not entirely suitable for ExI, but perhaps entertaining for those who
are entertained by this sort of thing.

 

About 20 yrs ago, I planted two orange trees in the back corners of my yard.
California grove-man's trick: intentionally go light fertilizer and light
water at first, to encourage the roots to go down rather than out.  

 

A coupla years after those were planted, with just enough water and
fertilizer to keep them alive, a neighbor replaced the rims on an old car.
I showed him how to refurbish ratty old rims, but he thought it was a lot of
work, so he offered me the rims.  I put them in back out of sight under one
tree, (fence on two sides, lots of leaves and branches obscuring the
remaining view.)  I forgot about them (outta sight, outta mind.)  

 

Several years went by, the trees started bearing, I increased the fertilizer
to get more fruit.  Over time I noticed one of the trees seems look more
healthy than the other: no indication of iron deficiency in the tree where
those ratty old rims are stacked.  I went back there yesterday and noticed
those rims are completely rusted, way beyond practical refurbishment by now.
Then it occurred to me: the rust from the rims might be supplying iron to
the one tree.  Car parts do rust away, and the iron hasta go somewhere.  The
only where available is straight down.  

 

Those old rims have been under there for about 18 years.  It would be easy
enough to estimate the iron needs of a citrus tree, but I have no good way
to estimate how fast an iron rim loses mass to the soil.  Perhaps I will
move some or all the rims to the other tree.  Any ideas?

 

spike 

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