Good‘s new gardening expert Zoe Carafice is ready and waiting to solve your dilemmas! Each question published on Zoe’s blog or in Good receives a fab prize from Tui Garden. This week: what to feed your lemon tree.
Email your gardening questions to [email protected] and every question answered in Good or on Zoe’s blog will receive a fab prize from Tui Garden Products!
Q: I planted a very small lemon plant 18 months ago and it’s barely grown ten centimetres. I live near the beach so the soil is quite sandy. What are the chances of the plant bearing fruit and if it’s possible, how long will it take? –Simonne
A: Lemons, like all citrus, are very hungry plants. They require good rich soil to provide nutrients and also consistent watering over the dry summer months. Citrus are great coastal plants but it sounds like your wee tree could use a bit of help, especially at this time of year.
Start by scattering a few handfuls of blood and bone on the ground around the base of the tree. If the leaves are yellow-looking then it could also have a magnesium deficiency so sprinkle a tablespoon of Epsom salts on too. Then pile up a good thick layer of compost around the tree (making a circle with a diameter of about 60cm) and cover this with a layer of bark mulch to help retain moisture. Keep up regular watering throughout the summer.
You should notice a difference in the growth. Repeat all this every three months and this coming spring you should get a few blossoms to reward your extra care. When it does flower the first time it is best to pick off the buds; this allows the plant to focus all its energy on growing into a strong tree rather than producing fruit. The following year you can leave a few flowers on and enjoy your first lemons – trust me, it’s worth it in the end!
–Zoe Carafice
Simonne has won a bottle of Seasol from Tui Garden Products! Seasol is a seaweed-based plant tonic that has been used by Australian and New Zealand commercial growers and home gardeners for over 30 years.
The naturally occurring growth stimulants in Seasol promote strong root growth, reduce transplant shock, improve germination rates and increase flowering and fruiting capacity.
Meet Good’s new gardening expert
Zoe Carafice is a landscape designer and photographer. She won gold at the Ellerslie Flower Show in 2007 and has a keen interest in sustainable design and organic gardening.
Email your gardening questions to [email protected] and every question answered in Good or on Zoe’s blog will receive a fab prize from Tui Garden Products!
One question will be featured in each magazine and in each Good Fortnightly e-newsletter. Don’t receive our newsletter? Sign up to get it here!
