My citrus trees are looking dodgy!!

Now that does sound promising maybe I'll have a go after all, thanks for that Bluedun.
Helen.xxx.

 

Pete
The Lemon tree about 3�½ foot tall in a 15 inch pot, can just lift it in and out the greenhouse. The Satsuma is about 1�½ foot tall in a 10 inch pot.

I will have to find out a photo of both my Citrus trees and see if I can post them on here?.

The Lemon tree is a few years old now purchased from a Wyvale garden centre, the Satsuma I purchased from the Citrs Centre on line.

trevor

 

Yes Trevor, a picture would be nice, always helps others to see what your up to, I think.

Sounds like they are doing well, I've not seen satsuma in garden centres, so I had an idea you may have got it via some other means.

 

Happy New Year!! Thank you all for your replies - nice to hear about everyone's experiences growing citrus trees of different varieties!

We have seven trees in all, all in large pots, two are grapefruit, two are lemon and three are orange. They have all been grown from pips, so some must be getting on for 25+years old possibly!! (However I once bought a Calamondin?? from a local garden centre as it seemed such a bargain but it died within two or three months).
We are using systemic treatments regularly, we also wash the leaves down with mildly soapy water too. They just look a bit sorry for themselves at the moment. They certainly need re-potting and treating to a much better compost, and possibly slightly bigger pots?? (what do you all think?) and I will remember about the potash. It's just nice to hear how you are all fairing with your trees. Your advice is very much appreciated. Bye for now

 

We have had a lemon tree for some years that we put outside in the summer and bring back into the Wintergarten in the winter. I think it is a Meyers Lemon. Here is a picture of it taken this past summer





It is in a fairly large pot with a mix of soil and compost. Hubby also mixed rotting oak leaves into it. We water it frequently in the summer but just keep the soil a bit damp in the winter.

We have also had the problem of scale insects and I think that if there are not too many of them on a plant, the best thing to do is to remove them by hand. That means s c r a p e them off with your nail! Not everyone thing but I have no problem with it.

We cut it back every year just before we bring it in for the cold period.

The first few years it didn't produce many flowers or fruits (it fruits and flowers at the same time). When it started to, then the mini lemons fell off by the dozen, giving us a fright the first time. We then discovered that this is normal, it probably had too many fruit and so was discarding the excess so as to let the remaining ones grow.





In 2006 we had lots of giant fruit, in 2007 we had / still have even more but smaller ones. All of them have the most lovely smell and taste, never had any better.





Ours loose some leaves in the winter too but it never gets bare.

Hope I have covered everything, if not, get back to me anytime.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention that Hubby puts these "blue corn pellets" on everything to make things grow. He swears by them.

 

You must be doing everthing right Kedi.
A great crop there.

Just for the record, would you say you get hotter summers than we do over here?

 

Wow Kedi-Gato what brilliant pictures! Thank you so much for all your information - really appreciate your time and trouble (via your sister LoL!!)
I think I must re-pot the trees and feed them well, tlc is obviously very very important. I often moan about them, but my husband who grew them all from pips when he was a boy) would never part with them - so I will make a New Year's resolution to be more kind to his citrus trees!

 

Well, my dearest darling Sis and brother-in-law embarrass us with their success with their lemons ... but we hope and pray with their guidance we shall someday follow in their footsteps with our lemons, limes and grapefruit ... in our hot country in the middle of the orchards.

 

Just off for a G & T now - seeing photos of those lemons have made me thirsty!

 

My Lemons, a Meyers and a Citrus Limon, are both magnets for vine weevil, which I treat spring and Autumn with Provado. They spend the winter in a heated greenhouse and the summer, what's that?, in the exotic garden. The summer feed regime applies to everything there, twice a week tomato feed, and the citrus get a bonus Hi N lawn feed along side.

The finches browse off a lot of the scale insects, and cotton buds and meths take off the rest, at least twice a week, or more frequently if I need thinking time. It's a very therapeutic past time.

Nik

 

Satsuma



Lemon



This photo was taken in 2004 15th February

Sorry about the blue trays use them for mu Fuchsias.

Trevor

 

WOW.. fantastic.

 

I have to agree with you Dee those pictures are pretty amazing it makes you want a whole greenhouse full of the fruits doesn't it?
Beats going to Tesco's for them!
Helen.xxx.

 

Nik - we've never had vine weevil, thank goodness! Just the scale insect sometimes.

How interesting that the finches pick off the scale insect. Wish they would do that with ours and save me removing them.


Bluedun - both your Satsuma and Lemon look really good.

What kind of lemon do you have and what do you feed yours, do you have scale insect, etc?