Why Grow Citrus Trees?

Growing fruit trees such as oranges and lemons in the backyard will ensure a plentiful supply of healthy citrus fruit to eat not just once, but twice a year. Given a temperate region such as Australia, or the southern zones of North America, oranges and lemons bear twice a year so giving double the value of any other fruit tree. Unfortunately, gardeners living in zones 3, 4 or even 5 of North America will be unable to grow citrus trees.

There are many more different kinds of citrus trees than there used to be. Grapefruit of several different kinds, tangelos and mandarins are all tasty citrus fruit. Some varieties bear early while others bear late, so with two or three different kinds fresh citrus is available nearly all year round.

Citrus trees also grow and bear quickly. Those that are not grafted will bear in the second year of growth. Grafted trees will bear quickly too, of course. It just depends how mature they are when purchased.

There are Many Uses for Citrus Fruit

Oranges and lemons have many uses apart from eating the fruit fresh. They can be juiced for a fresh and healthy drink, or the juice can be frozen for later use. The fruit can be frozen whole or cut into quarters for tasty iceblocks on a hot day. Lemon juice is used in many recipes, so freezing ice cubes of it will ensure a plentiful supply.

Lemon meringue pies, lemon pudding, lemon icing on cakes and other treats are yummy for the family or for school fetes. Grapefruit drinks are one of the most refreshing and thirst-quenching drinks for a hot day.

There are many recipes for marmalades using a variety of oranges, lemons and other citrus such as grapefruit. Marmalade is quite easy to make and homemade marmalade on toast in the winter months is one delight that should not be missed.

Diseases of Citrus Trees

In general, citrus trees are hardier than other kinds of fruit trees. Fruit fly rarely attacks the fruit and the only problem might be sooty mould on the leaves. This is easily cured with a few sprays of white oil. In some area shield bugs can be a nuisance. These large bugs can be bright orange, green or nearly black, depending on their stage of life. They must be sprayed with a suitable poison or they will suck all the juice out of the young oranges and the young tender foliage.

The Health Benefits of Citrus

Everyone knows that oranges, grapefruit and lemons are a good source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to prevent colds and flu. Gran’s remedy of a hot lemon drink at bedtime when she had a cold has also been advised by doctors and other health care professionals.

Tip: Generally it is not a good idea to grow fruit trees in the same garden as vegetables or flowers. Trees take a lot of nourishment out of the soil which will impact on other plants. And digging around other plants such as flowers or vegetables will damage the roots of the trees.