Getting Down With The Citrus

 Like most trees on the property, the Orange & Lemon have been somewhat neglected & in need of TLC.

The Orange in particular has been dropping an excessive amount of fruit and showing signs of mineral deficiencies (yellowing of leaves). However, coming into warmer weather, the Orange is covered in blossom buds and should produce a good crop next season with some attention. It was pruned only recently to clear up some congestion of the inner branches (may have been a contributing factor to the large quantity of flowers).

Orange tree

Yellowing on leaves

The Lemon isn't faring so badly by comparison, he had a good pruning last year courtesy of the local possum population and this year was absolutely smothered in lemons, some the size of grapefruit & all fantastically juicy. I've no idea of the variety, but the fruit are almost seedless & quite thick-skinned, therefore good for storage. Unfortunately, he's also got some yellowing of leaves & is showing evidence of Gall Wasp infestation. Because most of the fruit have been left on the tree for a few months, bud production has been minimal.

Lemon tree - halfway harvested

Multiple yellowing patterns = multiple problems

Since both trees have been pruned, my next step was to harvest all of the existing fruit. This should focus energy on repair and the production of next season's crop.

Obtaining a  yield!

 Next, I pruned away all growth on the lemon that showed signs of swelling with Citrus Gall Wasp infestation. These cuttings were sealed in a plastic shopping bag and disposed of the the bin (regular waste, not green.)

Gall swelling at the base of stem

The differing patterns of yellowing on the leaves indicate multiple mineral or trace element deficiencies. In the near future I'll be giving both trees an application of Seasol and a boost of Nitrogen, but I wanted to begin the fertilizing process with a foliar application of Magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salts).

EPSOM SALTS:

Magnesium and sulfur are the two major components of Epsom Salt.

Magnesium is:

* A critical mineral for seed germination.
* Vital to the production of chlorophyll, which plants use to transform sunlight into food.
* An aid in the absorption of phosphorus and nitrogen, two of the most important fertilizer components.

Sulfur, the other major component of Epsom Salt, is also an important plant nutrient. Sulfur may:

* Contribute to chlorophyll production.
* Make the primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) found in most fertilizers more effective.

Although magnesium and sulfur occur naturally in soil, they can be depleted by various conditions, including heavy agricultural use over time.

I measured out just under 100grams of Epsom Salts for dilution in 5L of water. This mixture I initially applied to the leaves of each tree using a pressure pump sprayer - unfortunately a few teething problems with the equipment meant that the novelty of feeling like a ghostbuster wore off sooner than expected & I ended up applying the last Litre or so with a handheld spray bottle. Given the fact that there were only 2 trees to be treated, a spray bottle was more than adequate. Probably didn't look as cool though.

Who you gonna call?