Home Ideas and Plans Project guides & Articles

Spring Gardening Tips for Citrus & Fruit Trees

Beginner Intermediate Advanced

1 hr

As apple and pear trees start to blossom, it's time to start spraying with Yates Success Ultra Insect Control Concentrate to control codling moth. Destroy any infested fruit and remove flaking bark from trees.
Apply Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Granular Plant Food to citrus and other fruit trees, which are flowering and starting to set fruit.
New citrus foliage is prone to aphid attack, which results in leaves curling (tips curl down and under). Spray new growth regularly with organically certified Yates Nature's Way Organic Citrus, Vegie & Ornamental Spray Ready to Use , which kills aphids via contact (so it's important to give new foliage a thorough spray).

Transplanting Citrus Trees

Transplanting citrus is an easy exercise and well worth the effort to ensure lovely juicy citrus for many years to come. Citrus need a sunny spot so make sure your chosen area receives lots of sun. Autumn is the perfect time to transplant citrus.

Prepare the chosen area by enriching the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food. If the soil is clay-based, add gypsum and fork in well.

Dig out your citrus making sure you get as large a root-ball as possible. Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Position in hole and backfill, gently firming down. Form a raised ring around the plant, creating a well so that water will go where it’s needed most. Water in well.

Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips or pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk. Apply Yates Thrive Natural Fish & Seaweed+ Plant Food Concentrate every 2 weeks, this will help your citrus settle into its new home. Feed your citrus with Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Granular Plant Food throughout the year, in early spring, summer and again in autumn.