A Few Tips for Your Fruiting Plants
Welcome to the throws of Summer!
There are a couple of reasons for this article.
1st reason
I hope that your Citrus Trees and/or other fruiting plants are doing well despite the horrible heat that much of the country, and parts of the world for that matter, are experiencing.
I wanted to offer you a few words of advice.
Fruit, like humans, is made up of mostly water. During excessive heat spells, the plants will need extra moisture to keep the fruit from being smaller than advertised.
The best analogy I can offer is, keep the soil the consistency of a wrung-out dish sponge.
This may consist of watering every day or even possibly twice a day!
How to tell if your plant is dehydrated? Well if the leaves are wilted, that is your number one sign.
You can also test the soil by putting your finger in it. If it is dry up to your second knuckle, water thoroughly.
If you are a container grower, you can do the finger stick, OR, you can water thoroughly, then either pick the pot up or tilt the pot slightly to one side. You are trying to get the feel for the weight of it when it is completely saturated.
Then wait a couple of days.
Pick up or tilt the pot again, if it still feels really heavy, let it go another day or two.
If you go to pick it up and accidentally toss it into the next door neighbor's yard, it is too dry and needs water.
Fertilization is also important right now. Every time you water, trace amounts of Nitrogen is being flushed from the soil.
You should be feeding every 6-8 weeks with a good organic fertilizer such as Citrus Tone by Espoma. Holly Tone will also make a good substitute. No matter how organic the fertilizer is, NEVER fertilize a dry plant. Water it at least the day before, then fertilize. You can add more water to get it into the soil.
The 2nd reason for this article.
As you may or may not know, I do a lot of lecturing on different subjects, Citrus being the number one.
Many times when I have announced an upcoming lecture on social media, I get many responses similar to:
I wish I could make that day!
I wish you were not so far away!
I will be out of town!
I am working!
Etc. Etc.
Well, what is hopefully the beginning of a new series of lectures, I have the first one up and running.
The Citrus Guy Lectures on Growing Citrus
Click on the link and you can purchase it and watch it whenever you want! The first three minutes in a trailer style format can also be seen for free to see if you like how it is laid out.
As I said, I hope this will be the first of many of my popular lectures that many people have had the desire to see, but just could not for one reason or another.
If you like it and want to be kept up to date on future offerings, you can do one or all of the following:
On my website, there are all kinds of things to do, check out the pictures from my yard, go to my bookstore, my blog, sign up for my monthly information packed newsletter, or go to my newest store filled with all kinds of garden related accessories that make great gifts for that special gardener in your life.
If you hurry there are still a few days left to get 15% off your garden related items.
Lastly,
Please DO NOT feel like I am trying to be a pushy salesman.
If you happen to have any questions, concerns or need some advice on anything garden related, you are ALWAYS welcome to drop me a line to [email protected]. I am ALWAYS willing to offer some advice, free of charge and have done so for years!
Stay Cool, Stay Hydrated!
Happy Growing!
Darren Sheriff
a.k.a. The Citrus Guy