CITRUS IN POTS

Mandarins begin to ripen from early June with some oranges, tangelos, grapefruit and lemons harvesting through to February. This winter to spring fruiting makes citrus so valuable when other fruit is more expensive.  

Planting in pots

Citrus will grow in warm or mild climate zones. Providing frosts are not severe they will tolerate cool conditions. They will thrive in hot conditions providing they have water. They require a sunny position protected from cold winds.

Citrus prefer a potting mix prepared by mixing 1 part of ican Premium Compost with 3 parts of ican Premium Potting Mix. Choose a pot at least 43cm diameter, with good drainage holes. Add a bottom layer of crocks or course gravel to improve drainage. Add ican Slow Food as a base fertiliser which will feed the plant for up to two years.

For success in pots, choose citrus grown on dwarfing rootstock.

When to plant

Citrus trees can be planted anytime provided they are watered regularly in summer. They are available most of the year, but the best selection is available in autumn—which is also the best time to plant.

Feeding

‍Citrus are big feeders. When growing in pots it is important to feed three times a year—September, December and March, with one handful (40g) of ican Fruit Food for Pots & Planters at each application. A liquid food added when watering will give plants a boost for producing new leaves and flowers. Use ican Citrus and Fruit Food liquid fertiliser when watering in spring, summer and autumn.

Watering

‍Citrus in pots must be watered frequently through spring and autumn and daily in summer.  Irregular watering can cause fruit drop and fruit splitting, reduced yield and dry fruit. Apply ‘Saturaid’ wetting agent with each fertiliser application. This aids water penetration and retention, ensuring water is available to the plant.

Mulching

‍A layer of mulch, or pebbles, spread over the surface of the potting mix will conserve moisture and improve performance. Take care however, to keep mulch away from the base of the tree trunk.

Pests and diseases

Citrus trees are relatively free of insect pests but occasionally can be attacked by scale insects, aphids, whitefly and mites, which then encourages black sooty mould.

All the above problems can be minimised by applying Enspray99 at two monthly intervals. If this doesn’t provide control ask our team for further advice.

Verrucosis, a fungal disease which sometimes attacks lemons causing rough skin on the fruit and leaves, is controlled by spraying with Freeflo Copper.

Pruning

‍Citrus growing in pots require pruning to maintain a compact size. From time to time thin out growth to avoid the plant becoming too dense.  Make sure that any shoots below the graft are removed. These are easily identified as they have different foliage. Citrus fruit on new seasons growth or one year old wood.

Making your selection

Lemons

· Meyer is most popular because of its reliable high yield over 6 to 8 months June to December. The fruit is medium size and sweeter than other varieties.  

· Yen Ben is an improved selection of Lisbon for those wanting a ‘real’ lemon for cooking.  Pick from July to January.

· Genoa is a small tree with heavy crops in summer.

· Lemonade is a very sweet lemon that tastes like delicious lemonade. It ripens during spring, but ripe fruit can be found most of the year—if not already eaten!

Grapefruit

· Golden Special is the traditional grapefruit with a pale orange colour. Pick July to Oct.

· Cutlers Red  has the typical strong grapefruit taste, but a deeper orange colour and is more attractive on the tree. Excellent for those who like a strong marmalade. Ripens July to October.

· Wheeny is a larger sweeter variety ripening October to December and is inclined to biennial cropping.

Limes

‍Limes are popular largely because of the interest in cooking. Most popular is the Tahitian lime or selections such as Bearss, for juice, and the Kaffir lime, grown for the leaves, an essential ingredient in Asian cuisine.  Limes need protection from frost until established.

Oranges

‍NZ oranges rate very highly against imported oranges for flavour. Valencia oranges are medium sized, thin skin, can be hard to peel. Navel oranges are larger and easier to peel.

· Washington Navel is reliable in all but the coldest regions. Ripens Oct to Dec.

· Fukumoto is a navel type with very attractive fruit. Ripens Sep to Oct.

· Harwoods Late is a Valencia type with high yields of flavoursome juicy fruit.

Mandarins

· Clementine produces heavy crops and is full of flavour. Ripens June to August.

· Silverhill, a Satsuma selection, ripens early in July and is very easy peel.

· Miho is similar, early ripening, easy peel which begins cropping as a young tree and has more flavour.

· Encore is vigorous with large crops and  excellent flavour. Ripens Oct to late Feb.

Tangelo

Seminole is a heavy cropper of large orange-red thin-skinned fruit. Ripens August to November.

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