Discover tips to growing successful citrus in your garden this season from Laura (@thekiwicountrygirl).
1. Feed citrus in spring, summer and early autumn. This ensures new growth isn't affected by frosts. However you can apply Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic year-round for a healthy boost and to help plants cope with extremes in temperature.
2. Treat yellow leaves due to lack of magnesium with Tui Epsom Salts.
3. Mulch to protect roots, conserve moisture and suppress weeds.
4. Check for bugs including scale, whitefly, mites and aphids. Apply a spraying oil through winter to help prevent insects. If you spot insects choose a suitable spray from your garden centre.
5. Prune citrus trees if they become large or misshapen. Pruning can be done almost year-round with a few exceptions:
- Frost prone area. If you're in a frost prone area, wait until spring.
- Avoid pruning September/October if possible as there is risk of lemon tree borer laying eggs in fresh cuts, or if you do prune, ensure you seal cuts with a water based paint or pruning paste to stop them entering the cuts.
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Laura's top 5 winter citrus tips Comments
Thank you for the gardening tips they are most helpful and inspired me to get out there and GARDEN instead of huddling indoors on this wintry day!
Sue
Hi Sue, that is so good you feel inspired to get out into the garden, it is so easy to pick up a good book and stay indoors on a wintry day.
Lianne
Hi, I love reading your replies to peoples questions. Very informative. I would like to ask if lemon trees like worm tea and when is a good time to use, thanks.
Elly
Hi Elly, thank you for your feedback on the garden question pages. Yes you can use worm tea on citrus, it is diluted 1 part worm tea to 10 parts water. The bet time to apply worm tea is when plants are actively growing, so spring, summer and autumn. It won't do any harm to the tree if it is applied in winter, but plants aren't actively growing in the winter months so of little benefit.
Lianne
Hi, I have fish tanks, can I put fish water on and around the Lemon tree? The ph level is around 6.8 - 8.0. Thanks.
Rio
I absolutely love your emails giving us tips on the gardening experience.. thank you so much.
Rio
Hi, I have a very healthy looking lemon tree that's been in for a few seasons now and it just doesn't seem to want to produce lemons. I mulch it and can't see any obvious pests on it so, help! Thanks team 👍
Martin Hill
Hi Martin, if your tree is recently planted, it can take a few seasons for it to establish and fruit. Grafted varieties should fruit in 3-4 years, it is always good practise to remove fruit in the first season to allow the tree to establish a good root system. The type of lemon is important, Meyer lemon is very hardy and adapts to most conditions in New Zealand, other varieties may be more frost tender as citrus are subtropical fruits, late frost and cooler temperatures can affect flowering and ultimately fruiting.
Are you feeding with a balanced citrus fertiliser? If a nitrogen rich fertiliser is applied, then there will be a lot of leaf growth and limited flowering and fruiting. Too much nitrogen can also come from other sources such as sheep pellets, blood and bone and compost, all of these are a good source of nitrogen but they also need other nutrients. Apply Tui Citrus Food in early spring and again in late summer, early autumn. Fruit trees especially require a fertiliser high in potassium for flowering and fruiting.
Is the tree being consistently watered through-out the growing season, established citrus requires watering weekly, approximately 5 litres per tree, depending upon the soil, for newly planted trees water every 2-3 days in the growing season. If trees dry out at the crucial time of fruit set the fruit that sets will fall off. Mulch around the tree in spring with Tui Mulch & Feed to help conserve soil moisture and remove any grass or weeds that maybe around the base of the tree as the surface feeding roots don’t like competing for nutrients and water.
Is the tree in a sunny position with at least 6 hours sun a day in the growing season? Also is the tree in a sheltered spot and protected from prevailing winds. Tui Seaweed Plant Tonic is aways a good boost, it helps to stimulate root growth and the tree can better tolerate temperature fluctuations. The Tui Superfood Citrus and Fruit liquid plant food is also a good way to get very quick results and can be applied weekly through-out the growing season.
Lianne