ones,Its got plenty of smaller ones,but next time we would like some bigger ones.What should I put on to help it and when should I start that. I don't mind if we get less,just would like them a decent size. thanks.
summersunnz,
Jul 26, 1:05am
Hi. keep it well watered through summer and through till fruiting. and. I've learnt to feed mine fortnightly from Spring through till the fruit are almost finished, with the comfrey fertiliser I make. get the biggest mandarins I've seen from doing that. tasty and juicy too.
If you don't have comfrey, and you wanted to make some of your own - and free - fertiliser, you could also make it by soaking seaweed, grass clippings, etc. in a bucket full of water - put something over the top so rain can't get in and overflow the mix, and leave it somewhere out of the way for a month or so.
Dilute by using 2 cups of the 'tea' to a bucket of water and slosh that onto the ground beneath your tree. done!
Adding - chop the seaweed by spreading it out on your lawn and run the lawnmower over it to chop into small pieces. Weeds from your garden can be added too.
wasgonna,
Jul 26, 1:07am
Potash may be of help as it promotes strong roots and fruiting. I'd get it into the ground now so its there when Spring arrives. You are in the north so its always summer up there . right?
clivehell,
Jul 26, 1:21am
I have got a couple of comfrey plants so might try that. Might try the potash as well. thanks for that. We have had a couple of frosts up in Kaitaia so far.So its not quite true about the winterless north.We are from Auckland so have not had a fire yet,after 3 years here.Is about 2c hotter than there.
gilligee,
Jul 26, 1:39am
Thinning is the answer. Commercial grower I know thins heavily and has enormous fruit. ( relatively speaking that is ). Thin when small and green.
clivehell,
Jul 26, 1:51am
We have never really pruned it in the 3 years we have been here. It has a bit of borer which I have cut off where I can. Might give it a go.When is the best time to prune,straight after the fruit is finished?
lythande1,
Jul 26, 1:53am
Feed it.Citrus are very hungry plants. Comfrey tea etc is just giving it sips. Loads of compost and manure and give it some citrus fertiliser too.
clivehell,
Jul 26, 4:34am
thanks for the ideas, people.
summersunnz,
Jul 26, 6:52am
Apart from dead or diseased wood, they need to be trimmed just a little when you cut a mandarin off. some good info about citrus is in the NZ Gardener Get Growing email from yesterday. hopefully you'll be able to view it though this link. http://getgrowing.realviewdigital.com/#folio=18
kateley,
Jul 26, 8:55pm
I put a compost bin next to mine last spring, and every so often I ran the hose thru the compost so the goodness would be taken down to the roots thru the compost. This winter I have had the biggest and juciest mandarins ever and heaps of them.
clivehell,
Jul 27, 12:32am
thanks for that tip summersunnz.I do get the email for Get Growing but haven't read it. ta.
annies3,
Nov 11, 6:08pm
Hi, I think you may have misunderstood the advice above to thin, this was referring to thinning some of the fruit from each group when they are tiny, so the tree doesn't have to produce as many hence they grow larger, wish we could grow them down here, we do have a meyer lemon looking promising though.
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