Selwyn Times: April 18, 2017
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36 Tuesday <strong>April</strong> <strong>18</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Latest Christchurch news at www. .kiwi<br />
SELWYN TIMES<br />
Gardening<br />
Cold weather grapefruit is a citrus jewel<br />
TOLERANT: Grapefruit will withstand some frost.<br />
FLOWERING CHERRY TREES<br />
20% TO 50% OFF<br />
366 Halswell Junction Road, Halswell, Christchurch 8025<br />
T: 03 349 9240 | E: info@allwood.co.nz<br />
www.allwood.co.nz<br />
APRIL ONLY<br />
OPEN TUESDAY to FRIDAY 9.00am to 4.30pm SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10.00am to 4.00pm<br />
GRAPEFRUIT is one of<br />
winter’s colourful citrus<br />
jewels. Packed with<br />
antioxidants just when we<br />
need them, the grapefruit<br />
is a popular fruit tree to<br />
have in the home garden.<br />
The fruit may be an<br />
acquired taste as it can be<br />
rather sour, but there are<br />
a few tricks to draw out its<br />
sweetness.<br />
In the United States,<br />
where grapefruit are a<br />
breakfast staple, they are<br />
much sweeter because<br />
of the way they are<br />
grown. Most commercial<br />
grapefruit orchards are<br />
in the hot states, such as<br />
Florida, where they are<br />
grown with irrigation. In<br />
spite of this, grapefruit<br />
are one of the most coldtolerant<br />
citrus fruits and<br />
will withstand some frost.<br />
When selecting the place<br />
to plant your tree, find<br />
the hottest part of your<br />
property, ideally with a<br />
masonry wall to release<br />
heat to help sweeten the<br />
fruit.<br />
To get the most<br />
sweetness and ripeness<br />
from the fruit, leave it on<br />
the tree for a long time – it<br />
can take up to 14 months<br />
to ripen properly.<br />
The variety you choose<br />
is also important. Wheeny<br />
grapefruit takes a long<br />
time to produce fruit<br />
– this variety tends to<br />
produce fruit biennially.<br />
Citrus needs full sun<br />
and ample moisture, but<br />
reasonable drainage. It<br />
needs a spot with good<br />
airflow but not windy, and<br />
it doesn’t like to be too<br />
crowded.<br />
Golden special is always<br />
productive and the<br />
fruit not too sour. This<br />
grapefruit is a breakfast<br />
staple, sweetened with a<br />
little honey or a sprinkle<br />
of raw sugar.<br />
Citrus care<br />
Citrus are surface<br />
rooters so they don’t<br />
do well with grass growing<br />
around them, particularly<br />
when they are young. It<br />
is much better to lightly<br />
skim the grass from the<br />
surface without disturbing<br />
the roots of the tree,<br />
removing the competition<br />
to beyond the “drip line” if<br />
you can.<br />
TASTY: Packed with<br />
antioxidants grapefruit is a<br />
sweet breakfast staple.<br />
$7.90 incl. GST<br />
Give fine-leafed plants a trim visit pukeahu national war memorial park upcycle an old wheelbarrow<br />
growing with you<br />
following the fantail<br />
Learn more about this<br />
bright little bird<br />
for the love of wild<br />
flowers<br />
geoff & Liz Brunsden’s<br />
quest to spread colour<br />
all over the country<br />
Humble<br />
bumblebees<br />
How to encourage more of these<br />
hard-working pollinators into<br />
your garden<br />
Autumn crops<br />
the edibles that deserve<br />
your growing attention<br />
compAnion plAnts<br />
for fruit trees<br />
+ planting advice for<br />
cherries & tamari los<br />
<strong>April</strong> <strong>2017</strong> | 100%<br />
Real-life gardeners<br />
Elaine Schreiber of Bushview<br />
Gardens, New Plymouth<br />
+ Vicky Barrett of the Dig<br />
It! Royal Oak Organic<br />
Garden, Auckland<br />
off to mArket<br />
setting up your own<br />
plant or produce sta l<br />
For more gardening<br />
inspiration,<br />
pick up the latest<br />
issue of<br />
kiwigardener<br />
gardening without guesswork<br />
Question:<br />
I have a bit of grass grub in my lawn,<br />
what can I do to get rid of it?<br />
The recommended treatment<br />
Answer: for grass grub is to use a soil<br />
insecticide such as Lawn<br />
Guard. There are several in the garden centres available,<br />
usually containing the same active ingredient, but<br />
with their own brand name. Best head to your local<br />
garden centre and ask for their recommendation. Make<br />
sure that you read the instructions very carefully, and<br />
follow all the steps indicated on the bottle! Now is a<br />
great time to treat grass grub while the weather is still<br />
warm. It is a good idea to treat the whole lawn, then<br />
give it a sprinkle of fertiliser afterwards. Intelligro’s<br />
Lawn Fertiliser is excellent for creating a lush lawn.<br />
Come down and grab a bag, even if you aren’t treating<br />
for grass grub. Established lawns can be fertilised<br />
now too, just make sure that you water thoroughly<br />
after application.<br />
for more information, check out our website: www.intelligro.co.nz<br />
or visit our facebook page: www.facebook.com/igro.co.nz<br />
Thanks to James for his question.<br />
WIN!<br />
a $50<br />
INTEllIgrO gIfT<br />
VOuchEr!<br />
Send us your<br />
question and<br />
BE IN<br />
TO WIN!<br />
Email to: info@igro.co.nz or post<br />
your question on our Facebook page:<br />
www.facebook.com/igro.co.nz<br />
New questions received by<br />
Tuesday 25th <strong>April</strong>.<br />
how will I know I have grass<br />
grub in the lawn?<br />
Grass grub lawn damage shows as patchy areas of dead grass. Eggs<br />
of the grass grub found here are laid in the soil during spring/summer,<br />
and normally hatch after about 2 weeks. The small larvae then feed on<br />
the roots of grasses until spring, growing to 20-25 mm long. Diseased<br />
lawn will turn yellow and die off leaving a dead mat of turf.<br />
QualITy prOducTs frOm ThE WEB TO ThE shEd!
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