5. Good Organic Gardening - September-October 2016 AvxHome.in

WEEKEND GARDENING | Citrus tips
Bronze orange bug On Australia’s East
Coast, this is a serious citrus pest. Often
referred to as a stink bug, it sucks the
sap from new foliage and also fruit stalks,
causing the leaves to wilt and die and the
young fruit to blacken and fall. Bronze
orange bugs start their life as small, flat,
green, oval-shaped bugs that gradually
turn bright orange and then brown.
Left untreated, bronze orange bugs can
significantly affect new foliage growth and
fruit yield. In small numbers, they can be
picked off the tree by hand and squashed.
For larger infestations on edible citrus, there
is only one registered spray for bronze
orange bug in Australia — thankfully, a
certified-organic pyrethrin and vegetable
oil-based spray. Be careful when dealing with
bronze orange bugs; they can squirt caustic
orange liquid if disturbed, so it’s important to
wear eye and skin protection when treating
citrus trees for these pests.
Fruit fly The joy of homegrown citrus is
quickly extinguished when you cut open
the fruit only to find it infested with fruit-fly
maggots. Fruit flies, both Queensland and
Mediterranean, are serious pests of citrus
fruit around Australia and home gardeners
need to be vigilant to control this pest and
protect their fruit. Control measures can
include a variety of techniques, including
fruit-fly netting, bags and baiting. Fruit-fly
baits are a mix of irresistible bait (usually
protein and sugar) and an insecticide.
Organically certified fruit-fly baits available
for home-garden use are sprayed onto
the lower foliage or trunk of citrus trees
(not the fruit itself) or applied to a piece of
wood and hung in the orchard. It’s vital to
reapply these baits each week to ensure
continued fruit-fly protection. See our next
story for more detailed information on
Queensland fruit fly.
Citrus gall wasp Adult citrus gall wasps
lay their eggs in young citrus stems in
spring. The larvae hatch and a woody “gall”
forms around them. The health of heavily
infested trees can suffer. Home gardeners
can use a combination of traps and regular
pruning of galls to reduce damage and
wasp populations.
Citrus should be fed with a “complete” fertiliser,
one that contains the three main nutrients:
nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Citrus gall wasp damage
Pia Scanlon, Canstockphoto
The heady scent of citrus flowers is a bonus
Find room at your place for a citrus tree or two
and you’ll be rewarded for many years with a
very attractive tree, wonderfully fragrant flowers
and, of course, some of nature’s most delicious
and nutritious fruits. Happy growing!
54 | Good Organic Gardening