Citrus trees laden with juicy lemons, oranges, limes and mandarins ready to be plucked from the branch are a quintessentially Kiwi addition to many home gardens.
Plant in your garden or in pots for fresh citrus at your fingertips!
Choose a variety
There are dwarf options available which are ideal for pots and containers.
Pick a variety suited to your garden and cooking needs.
Popular varieties include:
Orange: Best Seedless, Harwoods Late, Ruby Blood, Seville.
Lime: Bearss lime, Makrut lime, Tahitian lime.
Lemon: Eureka, Meyer, Lemonade.
Mandarin: Burgess Scarlet, Clementine, Satsuma.
Grapefruit: Golden Special, Orlando, Wheeny.
What size pot can I plant a citrus in?
Look for pots or tubs that are at least 40 litres. Half wine barrels are a good size too.
You can expect fruit in one to two years from planting. Fill your container with a quality potting mix such as Tui Citrus & Fruit Mix. Make sure you place your pot in full sun as they do best in a consistently sunny environment.
Tui Citrus & Fruit Mix has the right blend of nutrients to provide your citrus and fruit trees with the best possible start and sustained growth. Use in garden beds, pots and for a bumper crop of juicy citrus.
Top citrus tips
- Replenishing nutrients used by your citrus ensures they will grow to their full potential, producing abundant and juicy crops. Feed your citrus in spring and summer with Tui Citrus Food or Tui Enrich Citrus, Fruit, Tree & Shrub fertiliser.
- Prune if you need to for either a desired shape, to remove any diseased stems, or to improve air circulation. Remember leaves are the life of the tree, so don’t cut unnecessarily, particularly before the trees have matured. Try and avoid September/October as there is risk of lemon tree borer laying eggs in fresh cuts, or if you do prune, ensure you seal cuts with pruning paste.
- In the first year after planting remove any fruit that sets. This allows the tree to establish itself and encourages better fruiting in the following seasons.
- Citrus require more watering over the warmer months - and well watered, well nourished citrus will have a better chance of keeping healthy!
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