Can I move my small orange tree to a new place in the garden?
Yes, but only from late spring to early summer. Prune the tree to remove any immature growth and use a spade to cut the roots to the new width of the tree, at least 30 to 40cm deep (85% of roots are within this area).
Prepare the hole in the new position, mixing a general purpose organic fertiliser mix in the bottom of the hole and then move the tree into that new position.
Make a circle of soil just outside the cut area and flood water the tree into its new position and allow it to settle overnight. Next day, check for cracks and soil subsidence, top up and add a little more water. The root crown must remain at the surface of the soil and not be buried.
Is there a simple way to check when citrus trees need watering?
Use your fingers to test the leaves. If the feel of the leaf is cool and turgid it is okay. If it feels warm, dry and limp, then water the tree.
Do my citrus trees need wind protection?
Hot winds blowing directly on leaves can triple the amount of moisture loss. In direct sun rather than shade, this loss increases, especially at higher temperatures.
Leaf burn (brown leaf tips) tells you that the plant did not have sufficient moisture reserves to cope with the peak hot dry period.
I have ants all over my lemons. Why?
They are foraging for the honeydew exuded by scale- a common pest of citrus. Tidy, weed and clean around the tree to remove any bridges for the ants to climb on. Treat the scale with Pest Oil or Eco Oil.
Why are my oranges sour?
It’s probable that the tree has run out of potash in particular so a general full range organic fertiliser should be applied with added potash. This should help for next year’s crop.
Why isn't my blood orange bloody?
Blood oranges require extremes of temperature – both hot and cold – to build the anthocyanin pigments that provide their distinctive blood colour. For this reason cool and tropical climates are unsuitable. One partial solution may be to keep the fruit in the fridge crisper for some time after picking, which may intensify the pigmentation.
Fruit colour is also generally better inside the tree away from the bleaching effects of the sun.
My tree is covered with a sooty mould.
Your tree can have scale, which exudes honeydew, on which the sooty mould grows. Control the scale.
My 15 year old lemon tree is dying and the bark has changed to a bronze colour, what should I do?
The tree probably has Phytophthora fungus – look for vertical bark cracking at the soil line. This is likely to have been occurring over some years, causing more leaf loss and leaving the tree open to sunburn (the bronze colour). Remove the whole tree, replenish the site with a full programme of citrus fertilizers and replace the tree with a Phytophthora resistant rootstock in late spring.
Is there a freely available cheap organic pesticide for my citrus trees?
Yes. The basic element is canola oil and is sold under many brand names. The suggested choice is a Synertrol Oil, 20-30mls/10litres of water, as a wetter for shiny leafed plants like citrus. It has good low-level insecticidal properties and is soft on beneficial insects. It improves the efficiency of pest sprays and microelement application by holding the essential elements longer on the leaf. For this reason, lower levels of pest management chemicals can be trialled to produce an effective control.
CLIMATE
What is the best Climate For Fruit Trees?
Citrus are very adaptable and can be grown from Darwin to certain micro-climates in Tasmania tolerating down to -4°C with care. However different species and varieties perform better, and produce better flavoured fruit, when grown in their preferred climate.
For example, although citrus grow continuously in the tropics, without the dormancy induced by cooler temperatures, the fruit will not colour – an orange will not turn orange, but remain green making it difficult to decide when to pick.
Dormancy can be induced by withholding water thus halting growth. Conversely in cold climates citrus can be grown in pots, and moved to a glasshouse or sheltered position in winter until frosts are over.
It all depends on how much effort the gardener wants to put in. As a general rule, citrus that produce sweet fruit, such as oranges and mandarins, need at least 210 growing days (see p21) to build the sugars that will make the fruit sweet.
Citrus producing sour fruit such as grapefruit, lemons, sour oranges and kumquats can be grown in cooler areas; as the fruit is not sweet the lack of hot summers does not affect fruit quality.
