Growing Citrus
Citrus trees are so popular that we often forget how invaluable they are in the garden. These versatile plants have so much going for them – lush, glossy green leave, pretty white blossom and in the right spot they will produce a bountiful supply of fruit.
There’s nothing like the sweet scent of citrus blossom wafting in the air and the taste of ripe fruit fresh from your own tree. And you don’t have to restrict yourself to lemons – you can also grow limes, oranges, grapefruits, tangelos and cumquats.
Citrus trees have been grown in Asian and Mediterranean gardens for centuries for their heavily scented blossoms and luxuriant beauty. And they haven’t lost their appeal – in fact, they’re perfect for modern gardens. They can be clipped, espaliered, trained into vase shapes, grown in giant terracotta pots or displayed in formal rows to create a Mediterranean effect.
Planting and Pruning
Citrus require full sun, good drainage and regular water. All prefer protection from heavy frost and strong winds. Most potted varieties can be planted all year round, provided there’s enough water. In cool climates avoid planting citrus, especially limes, in winter.
They all respond brilliantly to pruning. Cut off dead and diseased wood and crossing branches once the danger of frosts has passed. They are easily shaped – you can even use hedge clippers. This forces the tree into forming multiple shoots, which form masses of flowers and fruit on their tips.
Feeding
Citrus like to be fertilised regularly. Apply a complete citrus food or organic fertiliser around the drip line of the tree each month from the first new growth in spring through to December. Feeding after December forces citrus into late growth in autumn. This attracts citrus leaf miner, which deforms the leaves. Water the tree well before and after feeding. Also add a layer of compost and well-rotted manure in spring – this keeps moisture around the root zone uniform and helps prevent problems such as fruit splitting.
Most citrus dislike the cold and it’s not uncommon for leaves – particularly on lemons and grapefruit trees – to yellow in winter. A complete fertiliser at the first sign of growth in spring remedies this.
Here are a few exciting varieties to explore:
Kaffir Lime - an evergreen shrub that only reaches 3m tall, making it ideal for tubs. The leaves and small knobbly fruit are used to flavour Asian dishes. The branches can be quite thorny. Pick leaves regularly to keep it compact. Suited to warmer climates.
Tahitian Lime - Plants grow to around 3 metres tall. The peak harvest time for Tahitian limes is in autumn, but you get months of very rewarding picking.
Lime ‘Sublime’ - grows to one and a half metres tall and just one metre wide so it’s tailor-made for small spaces and produces full sized limes.
‘Eureka’ Lemon – Fruits all year round. Lemons have few seeds and the plant is not thorny. But this plant needs space because it grows to around 4 m tall.
‘Lots a Lemons’ - produces a bountiful crop of full size Meyer Lemons on a mini tree up to 1.5 metres tall.
Citrus ‘Splitzer’ – Double Grafted Citrus. Five combinations to choose from including orange-lime, lemon-orange, lemon-lime, mandarin-orange and kaffir lime-lime
Garden Feast by Melissa King, Allen & Unwin, RRP: $49.95
