Feature Plant:

Waterlily!

Are you looking for that little splash of colour in your dam or
feature pond?

Then a water lily is for you!
Most hardy varieties of this water dwelling plant flower
between October and March and come in a rainbow of
colours including white, yellow, orange, pink, purple and
blue!

Water Lilies grow from a tuber that is planted generally in a
pot beneath the water. A great tip is to pot them up in a
wide, shallow container that is lined with hessian. Use rocks
in the base & good quality soil & then cover the top with a
tough gravel/rock mixture.

Waterlilies are hardy and don’t
require much maintenance. The flowers can keep blooming
for up to 4 days per flower, so you can
enjoy their beautfiful colour longer!

How to Grow Healthy Citrus Trees

Fruit trees are a great investment, the gift that keeps giving! A simple maintenance routine will keep them producing glorious fruit, year after year!

WHERE TO PLANT

Choosing a position with at least five hours a day of sunshine is the key to productive fruiting.  A north facing, sunny position is the ideal.  If you live in a cooler region, you could grow your trees near a wall that catches the sun so heat can radiate and keep them warm.

TIP: DIG IN SOME COMPOSTED POULTRY MANURE INTO THE SOIL WHEN PLANTING.  SUPER BOOSTER PELLETS ARE IDEAL.

It is important to check that you have quick draining soil as your trees won’t benefit from being waterlogged.  If water pools and doesn’t drain away, add some drainage or mound the soil before planting.

WATERING

Once you have planted your citrus tree, water deeply twice a week until established.  The frequency can then be scaled back.  When the weather is dry or when fruit is forming in spring and early summer, increase the water again.

TIP: CITRUS PLANTS LOVE WATER, BUT INFREQUENT DEEP WATERING IS THE MOST BENEFICIAL.

CARING FOR YOUR CITRUS TREE

Regular mulching will protect the shallow feeder roots.  Keep mulch and grass away from the trunk of the tree to avoid collar-rot.

FERTILISING

Poultry manure is a great, nutrient rich fertiliser for Citrus Trees.  Using a product like Katek Citrus & Fruit Fertiliser that is boosted with sulphate of potash encourages prolific fruit and flower production and enhances fruit flavour.  This pelletised fertiliser can be applied every six weeks through Spring to late Autumn around the root zone and out to the drip-line.

Fortnightly application of a seaweed concentrate like Katek Neptune during Spring is also recommended.  Neptune can be applied to the soil and foliage helps prevent disease, stimulates the soil’s biology and encourages strong and health plant growth.

TIP: COMPOSTED POULTRY MANURE IS FULL OF LIVE BENEFICIAL MICROBES AND RICH IN PLANT AVAILABLE, SLOW RELEASE NUTRIENTS.

PRUNING

When the tree is growing, prune young shoots to encourage bushy growth.  It is a good idea to open up the centre of the plant as this will increase airflow.

When they are established, citrus trees don’t need pruning to produce great fruit, but it does help the overall health of the tree to remove dead wood and inward facing branches every few years.

TIP: REMOVING INTERIOR BRANCHES ALLOWS LIGHT AND AIR TO CIRCULATE AND WILL HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF DISEASE.

Super Chicken’s Top Tips!  

• Feed plants with an all purpose fertiliser.
• Cut back all tropical plants like cordylines & crotons, they will re shoot in warm weather.
• Give geraniums, poinsettia and snowflake bushes a prune and a good helping of liquid fertiliser. This will stimulate them to have new growth and flowers next season.
• Prune Azaleas to desired shape after flowering. Try not to cut any one branch back more than one third of its original size.
• Lightly trim passion fruit vines & re-mulch around the base.