Status of undeveloped fruit dropping from fruit trees
Question
We have two citrus trees in our yard. Due to the weather, lots of undeveloped fruits are dropping on their own. They are by no means edible.
What are we supposed to do with them? Do they have kedushat shevi'it?
Answer
It seems your tree is doing some natural thinning and saving its energy for fewer, but higher-quality fruit. It's actually recommended to thin fruit trees, but it is forbidden to do so on private trees during shemitah (so it's being done for you!), see our list of gardening activities during Shemitah.
As for the status of the fruit: Since the fruits began to develop this (shemitah) year, they have kedushat shevi'it. This is true, even though they are currently not edible.
What should you do with them?
Like many issues in halachah, there is a dispute.
Rav Kaniyevsky holds that it is the responsibility of the fruit tree's owner to gather the fruit to prevent them from being spoiled.
Rav Yehuda Amichay, head of Torah VeHa'aretz Institute, holds that this is not so and it is possible to leave them there on the ground.
In practice: If you wish to throw them away, you should gather, bag, and only then dispose.
