Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 8.4
The regrowth on this hard-pruned kumquat
needs little thinning. The yellow leaves are the result of
cool winter temperatures that slow the movement of
nitrogen in the plant. Warmer temperatures and blood
and bone in spring will cure this problem.
Figure 8.3
Dormant buds have been stimulated by hard
pruning. Rub off unwanted growth.
Renovation
Citrus have masses of dormant buds beneath
their bark so they can be pruned back hard
and rejuvenate (see Figure 8.3).
while the early fruiting mandarins need to be
picked as soon as they are ready.
Always cut your fruit from the tree so that the
'button' attachment that holds the fruit to the
stem is not damaged. Any break in the fruit's
surface will provide an invitation to rot, keep
the fruit unbroken and it can be stored for
weeks.
Simply rub off unwanted regrowth that is
heading towards the centre of the plant and
select one or two to become the new major
branches (see Figure 8.3).
The bushy kumquat in Figure 8.4 does not
need too much thinning as it is trained as a
standard, and dense foliage rather than fruit
production is the aim.
Table 8.1
Citrus fruit
Bergamot orange
Citrusbergamia
Chinotto orange
Citrusaurantium
var.
myrtifolia
Citron
Citrusmedica
Grapefruit
Citrusxparadisi
Kaffir or Macrut lime
Citrushystix
Kumquats
Fortunellajaponica
and
F.margarita
Lemons
Citruslimon
Lime
Citruslatifolia
Mandarine
Citrusreticulata
Seville orange
Citrusauranticum
Sweet oranges
Citrussinensis
Tangelo
Citrusreticulataxparadisi
Harvest
Limes are the only fruit that drop when they
are ripe and not before; however, the rest can
be harvested when they have gained almost
full colour. The fruit will last a week or so on
the tree without loss of quality. The late-
fruiting mandarins and tangelos can almost
be stored on the tree for a month or more,
