Basic gardening tips - citrus trees

I can't imagine life without citrus, with their zesty fresh juices full of vitamin c,  a squeeze of any citrus mixed with olive oil on a salad, home made marmalade, or the aged old remedy of hot water with lemon in the morning to energise ready for a busy day.

Citrus plants love sunshine so require about five hours a day to produce a good crop.  Planting them in a north-facing, warm and sunny position is best or in  cooler climates, grow them alongside a sunny wall, for warmth or an alternative is to  use large tubs like I do and move them around.  My daughter-in-law grows them in bright blue pots in their small court yard and they do very well, this years crop was plentiful for only 3 miniature trees.  Choose a spot that is well drained and if using a pot use suitable potting mix, because citrus don't like wet feet.

As with any plant it is necessary to prune the young shoots to create bushiness and for large juicy fruit thin out as the fruit form.  I know it's hard to snip off those precious little fruits but you will be rewarded with a much better crop, especially when they are young trees, so be brave. 



As the tree matures try to shape it so that the centre is open which creates good airflow, very important for health trees.  Fertilise to create good growth and rich soil to encourage worms, always a plus. Don't forget to snip off any shoots below the graft or your tree will revert back to the root stock.



You may encounter a few problems with your citrus so here are two to look for.  Yellow leaves, this is usually due to an iron deficiency so simply use iron chelate to turn those leaves back to a healthy glossy green. Also keep an eye out for sooty mould. It’s a fungal problem but it doesn’t need to be treated with fungicide. Sooty mould actually indicates there is an insect pest, such as white fly. These are sap sucking insects, often found on the undersides of leaves, especially during the cooler weather. They suck sap from the leaves and secrete a sweet sticky substance that drips onto the foliage and the sooty mould grows in the secretion. The treatment I use is white oil, you can either buy it or make your own.  I make my own using the following:





1 cup of ordinary cooking oil
1/2  a cup of water
Small amount of ordinary washing-up detergent.
Mix with water, it's about 40 parts water to one of this mixture.
Stir it up and spray it on.












Good  citrus requires a bit of effort in the beginning but you will be inundated with a continuous crop of wonderful, juice fruit for years to come.

Happy gardening

Bronwyn