When I moved into the property the trees had not been pruned for years, the structure of the branches was thick causing a lack of air fto circulate throught the tree. Many of the branches thinned out as they grew, failing to spout and new flowers or decent growth and the leaves were covered in disease.

I think growing fruit trees is a great way of saving those few extra dollars a week and I heard the other day of a nice idea whereby a parent planted a fruit tree in their backyard on the day their first grandchild was born so they could grow and be nutured together.

Citrus trees require deep, well drained soil, with a pH of about 6-7. Full sun positions provide the perfect conditions for growth, flowering, fruit set and ripening. Avoid exposure to strong winds by establishing windbreaks. Lemons and limes hate the cold so do not plant them in frost-prone areas. However, Meyer lemons tolerate a fair frost.

Citrus can be planted all the year round, but winter and spring is the best time to get them in the ground and start establishing them. Plant at least 5 meters apart from other trees to allow growth and airflow. Dig in plenty of compost and organic matter prior to planting, but do not use fresh animal manure as this will burn the roots.

Citrus trees thrive on plenty of nutrients, feeding your citrus on a regular basis is imperative if you want a healthy tree, free from disease and plenty of fruit. Mulching around the base of the tree will not only feed the plant but will help with water preservation. Mulches such as lucerne and pea straw are good mulches.

Watering your citrus is a little bit of an art and results only come through trial and error. Citrus is relatively drought-tolerant, but require plenty of water while fruit is developing on the tree. However, irregular watering can often be worse than prolonged water stress. Sometimes a citrus will drop excessive amounts of fruit if it has been over-watered. It might be worth talking to someone you know about their watering habits to get a better education. However, citrus are tolerant to recycled laundry water, providing you avoid detergents with high sodium and phosphorous levels.

Pruning efforts during the first few years should be directed to any new growth below the graft. Any fruit that is formed in the first two years should be removed. If all the trees energy is being sucked up by fruit it will not fully establish itself as a strong tree. When trees begin fruiting do main pruning during harvest. Always cut fruit of trees rather than tugging at it. Remove any twiggy, non-productive growth at the same time.

In cooler climates trees can have a much more severe prune to re-energise the tree. This should be done in late winter or early spring.