Citruses are flowering trees and shrubs from the rue (Rutaceae) family and are native to subtropical and tropical regions of South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, and northeastern Australia. Plants in the genus Citrus provide a wide assortment of fruit types, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, lime, grapefruit, pummelo, kumquats, andContinue reading “Can Citrus Trees be Grown from Seed?”
Tag Archives: citrus
Why Are Citrus Trees and Other Evergreens Planted in Spring?
The recommended time for planting all evergreen trees and plants, including citrus, is in spring, and the next best time to plant them is in early autumn. The question many new gardeners ask is why? Evergreen trees and plants retain their leaves all year round. They don’t drop their leaves in autumn and become bareContinue reading “Why Are Citrus Trees and Other Evergreens Planted in Spring?”
Does Potash and Epsom Salts Really Make Citrus Fruit Sweeter? Garden Mythbusting!
Is the advice to “use potash and Epsom salts to grow sweeter citrus fruit” based on scientific fact, or is it just gardening folklore? Adding potash (potassium) is only helpful when citrus trees are suffering from potassium deficiency, which is rare in healthy soils, and can be diagnosed by observing the leaves and fruit. TooContinue reading “Does Potash and Epsom Salts Really Make Citrus Fruit Sweeter? Garden Mythbusting!”
Citrus Problems – Leaves Curling Inwards Along Their Length
When leaves of a citrus tree curl evenly along their length, this is a protective response to minimises leaf surface area in order to reduce moisture loss. It indicates that the roots of the tree can’t supply enough water to support the leaves. This form of leaf curling may be due to temporary conditions, suchContinue reading “Citrus Problems – Leaves Curling Inwards Along Their Length”
Are Woody Galls on Citrus Tree Trunks Harmful?
Citrus vein enation (CVEV), also known as woody gall, is a viral disease which affects various lemon and lime trees and citrus rootstocks. This disease is caused by the CVE virus, a luteovirus which is transmitted by aphids, including the black citrus aphid (Toxoptera citricidus), cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii), and green peach aphid (Myzus persicae).Continue reading “Are Woody Galls on Citrus Tree Trunks Harmful?”
Citrus Problems – Citrus Fruit Has Thick Peel and Hollow Core
Nutrient imbalances and deficiencies can adversely affect the quality of citrus fruit. Excess nitrogen combined with low phosphorus will cause citrus fruit to be misshapen, with thick peel, a coarse and roughly textured rind, coarse pulpy flesh without much juice, and an open centre. The juice will also be more acid in these fruit. SignsContinue reading “Citrus Problems – Citrus Fruit Has Thick Peel and Hollow Core”
Citrus Problems, Why Citrus Fruit Drops and Flowers Fail to Develop
Is your citrus tree dropping its fruit before they reach full size, or even worse, dropping the flowers before fruit even begin to form? This problem can happen to oranges, lemons, lime, grapefruit, mandarins and all other citrus. Trees photosynthesise to produce carbohydrates such as sugars which they store as their energy source. They canContinue reading “Citrus Problems, Why Citrus Fruit Drops and Flowers Fail to Develop”
Citrus Nutrient Deficiency – Yellow Leaves
If leaves are yellowing on a citrus tree, it may be a sign of nutrient deficiency, but it may not be, depending on which leaves are yellowing. Older leaves yellowing are quite normal as long as it’s only happening to a very small number of the very oldest leaves. Evergreen trees such as citrus willContinue reading “Citrus Nutrient Deficiency – Yellow Leaves”
Citrus Problems – Why Is My Citrus Tree Dying?
Why do apparently healthy looking citrus trees suddenly start deteriorating in a matter of days, with leaves curling then dropping, branches dying back, eventually resulting in the loss of the tree? There are several causes, often caused by common gardening mistakes, which are easy to avoid. Curling Citrus Leaves as An Indicator of Root ProblemsContinue reading “Citrus Problems – Why Is My Citrus Tree Dying?”
Citrus Problems – Why Citrus Fruit Splitting Occurs and How To Prevent It
Various cultivars of Navel and Valencia oranges, mandarins and mandarin hybrids are prone to fruit splitting, a pre-harvest physiological rind disorder. Gardeners often wonder if this phenomenon is caused by a nutrient deficiency. Actually, there’s another cause, but plant nutrition can play a part in the splitting of citrus peel. How Does Citrus Peel Split?Continue reading “Citrus Problems – Why Citrus Fruit Splitting Occurs and How To Prevent It”
Citrus Nutrient Deficiency – Yellow Leaf with Green Veins
One of the most common nutrient deficiencies seen on citrus is the yellowing of the leaf with dark green veins. Citrus are heavy feeders and are prone to nutrient deficiencies in autumn when they’re fruiting heavily and maturing their fruit, and magnesium deficiency is a common occurrence with citrus during this period. Magnesium deficiencies canContinue reading “Citrus Nutrient Deficiency – Yellow Leaf with Green Veins”
Citrus Problems – Citrus Yellow Veins on Green Leaf in Winter
Are your citrus leaves turning green with yellow veins in winter? When gardeners see this colour change in their citrus leaves, they often wonder if this is due to a nutrient deficiency, and if so, what they can do to fix it. Leaf Chlorosis The abnormal yellowing of leaf tissue is called chlorosis, which isContinue reading “Citrus Problems – Citrus Yellow Veins on Green Leaf in Winter”
Citrus Problems – How to Control Citrus Gall Wasp, Methods That Work
What are Citrus Galls? Citrus galls are unsightly swellings caused by a tiny female citrus gall wasp (Bruchophagus fellis) which lays her eggs in the soft new growth of citrus trees in spring. As the new growth hardens off, a woody gall forms around the growing wasp larvae. Each gall contains many wasp larvae, eachContinue reading “Citrus Problems – How to Control Citrus Gall Wasp, Methods That Work”