Well, what a winter! Apart from a handful of beautiful spring-like days, it’s been very cool and wet, hasn’t it? The majority of our winter vegetable crops have still battled through, with loads of leafy greens, broccoli, broad beans and peas keeping the cooks in the family happy. The frosts have stunted a few plants – in particular, the poor old spuds – but they also come good after a while.
The pleasing harvests have been the citrus this year. Oranges, tangelos and mandarins have been especially plentiful and sweet, and if you have been able to keep the possums from your fruit you should still be enjoying daily picking from these wonderful trees.
There is a misconception that citrus don’t do well down here on the southern Peninsula. Many people mention that they struggle with growth rates, pests and diseases, and a lack of fruit. There are a number of factors that may lead to citrus problems down here, but they are all fairly straightforward to remedy.
One of the main issues we see is citrus trees planted within lawn spaces. Citrus trees have quite shallow feeding roots, and if there is spreading grasses – in particular, kikuyu – growing around and up to the stem of the tree, they will be competing for moisture and nutrients essential to their strong growth. If your trees are growing within such grass spaces, it is well worth trying to remove or destroy these grasses. Digging and hand-pulling the weedy ground cover can be problematic, as some of these feeding roots of the citrus may be damaged in the process. If the grass isn’t too thick and if done carefully without too much digging, you should be able to remove the majority. Smothering the grass can also be tricky, as they are such an invasive grower. A good-quality organic herbicide is always an option if you find yourself in this situation. There are a number on the market these days, so do some research and try a few out if you need to.
Irregular feeding and irrigation of your citrus will also have a negative impact on the growth rate of your trees. Monthly feeding is recommended, and installing a regulated drip irrigation or micro-spray system will be of great benefit. And a nice thick layer of composted mulch will help too.
When your trees cannot access regular food, their growth slows, which can lead to poor health. This in turn can bring in the insect pests, and the weakened tree finds it difficult to combat targeted attacks by scale, leaf-miner and aphids. Regular inspection of your trees is essential, and you will need to spring into action if outbreaks occur. Pyrethrum or horticultural oil sprays can greatly assist you if you run into severe infestations.
Getting on to the vegies, if you haven’t already raised seedlings during the past month, there’s still time to do this also. Again it’s probably worth getting on to it soon, otherwise it’ll require a trip to the local nursery to purchase seedlings.
Tomato, eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin and melons can all be sown in seed-raising trays now, along with corn, beans, leafy greens and salad veg. If you’d prefer, you can sow your bigger seeded veg directly into your beds. Be sure to mark them clearly and make a note of what date you sowed your seed.
HAPPY GARDENING!
Drew Cooper, Edible Gardens
Recent Comments