Ruud Kleinpaste: Troubleshooting citrus

A few weeks ago, we dealt with lemons and other citrus – never got around to solving some pests and diseases and … pruning tips Lemons should be fruiting. Ensure that the load of fruit on the branches is not too heavy (breaking!), so remove fruit accordingly, especially from young trees and prune some off to let the frame-work develop; next year let a few more grow as the tree strengthens its branch system. Pruning should achieve a nice “open” structure of branches; if a bird can fly “through” the citrus tree/shrub it will be open enough to let the wind come through to keep things dry, after a rain shower Prune from now until August, so that the pruning cut can heal, which prevent lemon tree borer for entering through the pruning wound Not Fruiting well, this winter? (Meyer) Lemons have a habit of fruiting well every second year (usually in winter and spring months); therefore it’s best to plant two or three lemon trees to have a continuous supply of lemons! Peeled lemons hanging from your tree? Get a Timms Trap! Possums are the culprit Sooty Mould on leaves and fruit; If you have sooty mould (fungi growing on sap sucking insect’s excrement) now’s the time to use some spraying oil (Conqueror Oil) to get rid of the cause: scale/mealybug/whitefly) Neem Oil is often a good, organic “suffocator” of small sap-sucking insects. Use the Oils frequently (every two weeks or so) and spray both sides of leaves and branches. Diseases Citrus scab (Verrucosis) is easily identified by the rough patches on the skin; Largely a “cosmetic” disease that won’t affect the inside of the fruit (the stuff you eat); if you don’t like it (need to get citrus zest etc) then a spray with Copper sulphate or Natures way Fungus spray (containing copper) will control the disease for the next year. Just every now and then… keep it simple! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.