Food gardens are becoming increasingly popular and let’s face it, it’s so rewarding eating fresh produce from your garden. A critical part of a food garden is fruit trees. Today we will look at citrus trees and unpack all you need to know about planting citrus trees.
CITRUS TREE INFORMATION
PLANTING REQUIREMENTS
- Generally, citrus trees can be planted at any time of the year except in the colder winter months.
- Choose an area that gets full sun and is sheltered from the wind.
- Make sure the soil you plant in drains well. Soil that does not drain well can lead to the roots rotting from sitting in too much water. If your soil is clay then you will need to bring in good-quality potting soil and make a raised bed in which to plant your citrus tree.
- The tree must always be planted to the same depth as it was grown in the nursery bag.
- Standard-sized citrus trees need to be spaced about 3,5m – 7,5m apart.
- To plant citrus trees dig a hole that is roughly 1.5 times the width of the root system and as deep as the root system is tall.
- Don’t add any fertiliser to the planting hole.
- Remember to plant the citrus tree a little above the depth it was in the nursery bag. Avoid planting too deeply because this will result in the water pooling around the truth which causes rot and disease.
GENERAL CARE
- Avoid watering daily. It’s essential that you don’t water your citrus trees a little bit every day as this can lead to root rot. Mature citrus trees need deep watering once a week in summer and every 2 weeks in winter. Young trees however will need more regular watering while they become established.
- Most citrus are self-fertile. As a result, you will not need a male and a female tree for most citrus trees.
- Typically fruit appears between the ages of 3 and 6 years.
- Citrus are heavy feeders and require regular feeding. You need to give the tree regular fertilser 3 – 4 times a year.
- Don’t apply mulch underneath your citrus trees as they shallow roots.
- Avoid planting groundcover plants at the base of citrus trees as the citrus tree will end up competing with these plants for nutrients as they are heavy feeders.
Now that we’ve explored all you need to know about planting citrus trees it’s important to remember that if you’re planning to grow food then water is absolutely essential. And while you can water with council water, it becomes expensive and leaves you with a high water bill.
As a result, it’s crucial to consider investing in a borehole. This is a sound investment that will save you money over the long run. A borehole can last many years so it’s well worth it and will also give you peace of mind that you have water security!
Contact us for a borehole drilling quote, Cape Town!