Spring Citrus Care

Orange, Mandarin, Grapefuit, Lime and Lemon trees are heavy feeders and require lots of nutrients to support healthy leaf growth and promote lots of flowers and fruit. The best fertiliser for feeding Citrus trees is one that has the right balance of nutrients for Citrus, such as Yates Dynamic Lifter Fruit & Citrus Plant Food Pellets. Apply around the root zone every 6 - 8 weeks. Trees can also be fed with liquid citrus fertilisers like Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Liquid Plant Food. Simply mix 1–2 capfuls in a 9 L watering can and apply around the root zone every 1–2 weeks. 

Regular feeding will also help to correct Citrus nutrient deficiencies, that may cause yellow leaves and a poor fruit harvest.

Citrus trees have quite a shallow root system and can dry out quickly during dry or hot weather. Young Citrus trees should be watered every day at least for the first six weeks while they establish.

More mature Citrus trees need thorough and regular watering, 2–3 times a week. Citrus in pots will dry out faster than in-ground trees and will require more frequent watering.

To water Citrus trees more effectively, apply a soil wetter like Yates Waterwise Soil Wetter around the trees during spring. This helps fix water-repellent soils and enables moisture to move down into the root zone where it’s needed. And applying an organic mulch, such as Yates Dynamic Lifter 4-in-1 Mulch, around the tree will reduce evaporation from the soil and help keep the root system moist. Keep the mulch a few centimetres away from the trunk, to enable good air flow and help reduce the incidence of disease.

Spring's mild conditions create an ideal time to plant a new Citrus tree in a garden or pot. Choose a spot that receives at least six hours of sunshine a day, in well-drained soil or a 500 mm pot filled with Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter. Here is some more detailed information on how to plant Citrus trees. 

Citrus are vulnerable to three key insect pests during spring – Citrus Leaf Miner, Aphids and Bronze Orange Bugs. Some pests require prevention, others are controlled as soon as they’re spotted.

Fixing distorted and curled leaves is one of the most common questions about Citrus trees in spring. The insect pest that causes these deformed leaves is Citrus Leaf Miner.

It’s a small moth that lays its eggs on tender new foliage. These eggs hatch into larvae that tunnel into the leaves, creating silvery trails and causing the leaves to distort. It ruins the look of a tree and in severe cases affects plant health by reducing the potential for photosynthesis (capturing energy from the sun).

Unfortunately, once the leaves are twisted the damage is permanent, until the leaves naturally fall from the tree. So, prevention is the key!

Citrus leaf miner can also become a problem again in late summer and early autumn, when citrus trees will often grow another fresh flush of new leaves. 

Aphids are small sap sucking insects that can be green, brown or black and can cause new leaves to curl under and twist.

Like Citrus Leaf Miner, the damage caused by aphids is permanent. As soon as Aphids are spotted on new Citrus leaves, it’s time to act. In addition to Aphids, you may also notice Ants running up and down the tree. They’re after the sweet sugary substance that Aphids excrete (called honeydew).

Bronze Orange Bugs, often referred to as stink bugs, are sap-sucking pests that cause young leaves and tiny developing fruit to wither, brown and die. They can be present from early to late spring. Young Bronze Orange Bugs are green, then turn bright orange and mature to dark brown. As soon as Bronze Orange Bugs are noticed (you may also smell them in the tree), it’s time to start spraying.

In late Winter and during Spring, new Citrus growth needs to be protected from these pests. Prevent Citrus Leaf Miner damage by spraying the new leaves with an oil-based spray like Yates Nature’s Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray.

This spray deters the Citrus Leaf Miner moth from laying her eggs on the foliage, thus preventing the damage caused by the tunnelling larvae.

Spray leaves every 5-14 days from when the new foliage is around 4cm long. Continue spraying until the young leaves are mature and are no longer vulnerable to the Citrus Leaf Miner attack.

Aphids and Bronze Orange Bugs can also be controlled by spraying with Yates Nature's Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray.

This spray works by contact action, so it’s important to spray the pests directly, repeating every 5-14 days, as needed.

These bugs are good at hiding, so it helps to walk around the tree several times and look for them from multiple angles. When spraying for Bronze Orange Bugs, wear eye protection, gloves and long-sleeved clothing, as they can squirt a nasty caustic liquid at you.

Scale are sap-sucking insects that are another common pest of Citrus trees. They appear as small, raised bumps on leaves, stems and fruit. Scale can also attract Ants and the fungal disease Sooty Mould, so if you see either of these on your Citrus trees, it could be a sign of Scale. Scale can be controlled with an oil-based spray like Pest Oil or Yates Nature's Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray. Ensure the Scale are sprayed directly.

Citrus Gall Wasp infested trees develop lumpy growths or galls along the stems. In early spring, before the adult wasps emerge from the gall (and create tell-tale small holes), affected stems can be pruned off. Place these prunings in a plastic bag and leave them in the sun for a few weeks before putting them in the bin. This process will kill any wasp larvae inside the gall.

Citrus trees do not usually need regular pruning, however if there is some dead wood or stems, these can be cut back in spring.