Lemon trees are fairly greedy plants and like to be fed four times a
year with nitrogen-rich and potassium-rich fertiliser. (Nitrogen
encourages better foliage and the potassium improves the quality
of the flowers and fruit.) Make sure you water the plant well before
and after feeding.
Fish or onion odour
on your hands can
be removed by
rubbing them with
fresh lemons.
Watering
If your lemon trees are planted in the ground, be sure to water them
at least once or twice a week during dry hot spells. You could ‘plant’ a
watering pipe when you plant your tree. The water you pour into the
pipe will go directly to the roots, saving water that would otherwise
be wasted. Potted trees will need to be watered more frequently.
TIP
Rub lemon leaves on
your windowsills
to repel flies
and mosquitoes.
Pests and disease
As rewarding as the harvesting is, nothing is more disheartening
than losing your precious lemons to some sort of pestilence. Keep an
eye on your trees and act on the first sign of problems.
Citrus psylla are tiny winged insects that cause little bumps and
curls on the leaves. This can be remedied by removing infected
leaves and spraying the underside with one of many, readily
available eco-friendly products. Don’t put your infected leaves on
the compost heap; rather destroy them.
48 Plaastoe! July 2017
h ee
Ingredients
For the base
110g tennis biscuits
50g butter
For the filling
400g cream cheese
75g castor sugar
Zest of one lemon
Juice of three
lemons
Feeding
on c
Although lemons will
tolerate poor soil, they
prefer loamy, fertile soil
with good drainage.
Lemon trees will rot and
develop fungus in muddy
soil with bad drainage.
E as y a n d q u i c k l e m
Method
To make the base: crush the tennis biscuits; melt
the butter in a saucepan; take off the heat and
stir in the biscuit crumbs. Press the biscuit and
butter mixture into a loose-bottomed cake tin,
and chill in the fridge. Beat the cream cheese,
castor sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice together
until smooth and creamy. Spread over the base
and put back into the fridge for a few hours.
You can top your cheesecake with anything that
works – raspberries, lemon zest, lemon syrup or
edible flowers.
Aphids are the white woolly insects that leave a black substance
on the undersides of leaves. Spray with Efekto Oleum. They can also
be sprayed off with water or even rubbed off with your fingers.
If you have an ant problem, water the ground and spray with
Antspray or Antkill around the base of the tree.
Orange dog caterpillars are a real problem, particularly on
smaller trees as they can strip a young tree of its foliage in no time.
These can be controlled by picking them off, but be warned, you
should wear gloves because they let off a rather unpleasant odour
when disturbed.
The best protection against pests that commonly attack lemon
trees is companion planting. Nasturtiums, lavender and marigolds
work really well when planted around your lemon trees. Lavender
and marigolds deter the pests with their strong scents, while
nasturtiums actually attract aphids, thereby keeping them away
from your lemon trees. Always try to avoid using insecticides and
rather use cultural and organic control
measures wherever you can.
Every garden should have lemon trees
The lemon tree has a number of wonderful attributes – it is
evergreen, eye-catching and perfect for large or small gardens,
ground-planting or pots. It has a number of uses and is one of the
most versatile fruits for cooking and baking. So once the coldest
weather has subsided, get to your nursery, find your lemon trees
and plant them end-autumn or early spring. Happy gardening!