Sad citrus

[Judy Klaus]

Help - my citrus are in a bad way. I don't know what to do. I mulched with seaweed last year and pruned. Unrelated to that I am sure I have little to no fruit and heaps of bugs and mites. Very sad lemon and other citrus.Any suggestions?

[Glen Kirkby]

I live in auckland and wish to plant some citrus trees shortly, can anyone please recommend some good varieties of

Orange
Manderine and
Tangelo

I want an easy peal manderine, and best flavor for all of them
Thanks.

[Glen Kirkby]

To get rid of your bugs, you might like to try a product called Diatomaceous earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

You can purchase it from a man in Palmiston North called Wally Richards, his web sight and email are

http://www.gardenews.co.nz/
[e-mail]

[Judy Klaus]

Thanks Shona - off now to feed, spray and water those citrus.

[Shona Cullen]

Hi Judy, Lime around the base is good for citrus I belive and you could get an organic spray at the garden center, but my mother in law swears by diswashing liqiud in a spay bottle it will get them to fall off, it dose work but you will have to keep at it. so i use the organic sprays when i have to. My lemons and Limes arn't cropping yet as they are new, only a year old. but they are starting though.

[Judy Klaus]

Thanks Christy. Some of the citrus are around 2 years old and some at least 7 years. They all are in the same area and get some sun (trees surrounding them are growing up however). They have good drainage but did not see any extra watering from me this summer but they were mulched. Some were pruned and some not. So maybe it was a water loss thing. I will use some oil and give them a good feed and if it doesn't rain this weekend - some water.

[Judy Klaus]

Thanks for this remineder Gayleen. My neighbour has sworn by this method too. The bucket will be in use daily in my household to my citrus' benefit!

Gayleen Taylor said:

you might not like this suggestion...but human urine is a great trick with citrus. if you have any little boys (or bigger ones for that matter!) you could point them in that direction. if you don't have any willing males then i guess you could collect it once a week with a bucket. not a big issue really - I grew up with the old bucket in the shed that dad used to empty every week into a hole in the vege garden.

[Christy Ralphs]

i have some citrus which were planted in completely the wrong place, and have been working on getting them healthier over the past couple of years. some of them did die though :( they like good drainage in winter, and watered in summer, and a sunny position. although lemons can survive okay without watering once established. if they are not looking healthy i would pick off any fruit, and get them growing strongly first. i would give them some rotted manure/sheep pellets and/or blood and bone and an oil spray for bugs. remove weeds around base, and thick mulch (their feeder roots are close to the surface). they don't normally need much pruning - you may have taken too much off? hope that helps anyway.

[Gayleen Taylor]

you might not like this suggestion...but human urine is a great trick with citrus. if you have any little boys (or bigger ones for that matter!) you could point them in that direction. if you don't have any willing males then i guess you could collect it once a week with a bucket. not a big issue really - I grew up with the old bucket in the shed that dad used to empty every week into a hole in the vege garden.