Spring means feeding time

Welcome to spring! It’s an absolutely wonderful time in the garden with lots of new growth and a rainbow of flowers. September is feeding time. You can feed everything this month — roses, citrus, trees, shrubs, lawns, herbs and vegies. Fertilising makes such a huge difference to plant health so get out into the garden and get feeding!

Luscious lemonsThe humble lemon is one of the most productive backyard fruit trees. Choose the right variety for your area and you can soon enjoy fresh home grown lemons. The important requirements for lemons (and most citrus trees) are very well drained soil, a full sun position, regular water and regular applications of Yates Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food.

Grafted trees are best in gardens as the strong root system resists root rot diseases (e.g. phytophthora) and promotes healthy growth and abundant fruiting. Dwarf citrus trees, grafted onto Flying Dragon rootstock which restricts the size of the tree but not the fruit, are ideal for smaller gardens and in large pots. Cutting-grown trees such as Lots-a-Lemons are best suited to large pots which provide adequate drainage for these dwarf multi-stemmed plants.

Best home garden lemon varieties include:

Eureka Lemon: Very productive, fruits nearly all year round, with large medium to thick skinned lemons which are juicy, very acidic and have few seeds. It’s a large upright, cold sensitive tree.

Meyer: A thin-skinned, super juicy lemon with a mild acid content, cropping several times a year. The fruit has a deep golden colour when ripe. It’s a wide spreading tree, and is very cold tolerant.

Lisbon: A very cold-tolerant variety, large thick-skinned fruit, very juicy and acidic with few seeds. A vigorous upright tree which mostly crops in mid to late winter.

Lemonade: A less acidic lemon with a sweeter milder flavour, which is delicious eaten fresh or juiced. It’s a vigorous tree and thrives in warm climates.

If you missed feeding your home grown citrus in August, there’s still time to boost hungry trees (and all fruiting plants) with applications of Yates Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food. This complete fertiliser contains fast acting nutrients to help boost growth and produce more abundant fruit.

Berry delightfulTie up the long canes of raspberry as they grow, and net crops as the fruit develops, to protect the fruit from birds.

To encourage healthy foliage growth and lots of raspberries, feed regularly with Yates Thrive Soluble Flower & Fruit.

Blueberries prefer an acidic well drained soil, so growing them in large pots (Yates Tuscan 400mm pots are ideal) filled with quality potting mix makes good sense. To lower soil pH, treat the soil with Yates Soil Acidifier Liquid Sulfur every 4 weeks until the correct pH is achieved and fertilise in spring using Yates Acticote Fruit, Citrus, Trees and Shrubs which feeds continually for up to 12 months.

When choosing blueberry varieties, Northern Highbush is suited to cooler areas as they require lots of ‘chilling’ hours and Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush prefer warmer areas.

Pest controlA serious pest of apple and pear trees is codling moth, and as trees set flowers it’s time to begin control sprays.

Codling moth caterpillars burrow into and destroy the fruit. Developed from beneficial soil bacteria, Yates Success Ultra is a highly effective, low toxic spray to control this pest safely, so you can enjoy undamaged apples and pears.

Start spraying for codling moth from petal fall. Several sprays are required to control subsequent life cycles.

Yates Success Ultra will also control caterpillars on other fruit trees and vegetables. The active ingredient, spinetoram, has ‘translaminar’ action which means it moves into the leaf, helping to protect it from sunlight and rain.

Long lasting colourSow seeds of annual Petunia ‘Super Colour Parade’, Portulaca ‘Sundancer’ and Zinnia ‘Lilliput’ now for a long lasting display of summer colour. These hardy annuals are heat busters with vivid flowers from late spring to autumn, making them great value. Petunias and Portulaca have low spreading growth to fill gaps with colour. ‘Lilliput’ Zinnia is compact and domed flowers are perfect for picking. Sow seeds directly where you want them to grow in sunny garden beds, borders or in pots.

Orchid CareAs cymbidium orchids finish flowering, they can be divided and repotted. Although crowded plants bloom happily for years, flower and foliage production gradually tapers off, so remove cymbidiums from their containers, divide into large clumps using a sharp knife (Tip: be generous, the smaller the clump, the longer they’ll take to re-flower), discard old withered bulbs, trim back any damaged roots and repot into fresh quality coarse orchid potting mix. Place the newly potted plants in a dappled shade position, protected from hot afternoon sun during spring and summer and water in well. Yates Thrive Orchid Liquid Plant Food is ideal for spring orchid feeding.

Indoor plantsRepot tired indoor plants — spring is an ideal time to freshen up your indoor plants. Repot any which have been in the same container for over two years. Remove the plant from the original container, shake off some of the old potting mix and repot into the same or a slightly larger container using good quality potting mix. Blend a spoonful of Yates Acticote Pots & Planters through the mix for an instant release of nutrients, then controlled feeding over 12 months. Water the plant thoroughly, allow the water to drain away, then return the plant to its position indoors.

Tip: Keep indoor plants dust free by placing them in the shower for a quick rinse off every four weeks.

Tidy trim backsGeraniums, pelargoniums, fuchsia and hibiscus can be trimmed back and tidied up now. Use secateurs or hedge shears to remove around a third of the old woody growth, to encourage fresh new growth and lots of summer flowers. Follow pruning with an application of Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit which encourages plenty of new growth and prolific flowering, then a layer of organic mulch for garden plants. Top up potted plants with additional fresh potting mix if the original mix has slumped.

Spring wake upLiquid fertilisers are an easy and quick way to give spring gardens a much needed post winter refresh. Liquid fertilisers help support the flush of spring growth and encourage lots of flowers. New Yates Thrive Natural Fish & Seaweed + contains a special combination of fish and seaweed, as well as a soil conditioner, which provide organic nutrients and enrich and nurture soils and improve plant nutrient uptake. It’s also boosted with fast acting nutrients for rapid results. Yates Thrive Natural Fish & Seaweed + gives all the health tonic benefits of seaweed as well as the nutrients plants need for healthy growth.

• Garden Guide courtesy of Yates