Discover the Fun of Gardening

May 17, 2012   

Huge heirloom tomatoes just starting to ripen.

We needed that rain last night. We recorded about an inch at our house and this morning every plant, tree and blade of grass looked like it was saying "ahhh". It was definitely what everything needed. Hopefully it will keep our veggie garden growing, we've been harvesting tomatoes (pictured at right), okra and peppers over the last week. Remember that now is the time to keep watching for pests and disease. There is nothing worse than losing veggies to pesky bugs, just before they've ripened. Weekly sprays of neem oil or thuricide (BT) are safe and will help keep pests away.

Once you've finished scouting your veggie garden for pests, check out the article below for tips on growing delicious citrus and take a peek to the right at all of the great sales going on now at Kerby's.

Happy Gardening,
Kim, Joey and Mark
 

In This Issue
Growing Citrus
 

Clearance Sales

Pottery & Statuary
20% Off

Peach, Apple, Plum & Nectarine Trees
50% Off

All Fortuniana Grafted Roses
2 for $50

Azaleas & Camellias
Buy One Get One Free

Daylilies
3 for $10
 

Sales Good Through May 31st

Forward to a Friend

Growing Delicious Citrus

Below are some simple tips for growing great citrus. They really are one of the easiest fruits to grow in this area and offer you great nutrition, too.  

Planting -  Citrus trees don't mind our sandy soil because it keeps them from getting too wet, but they do need some rich material that can hold some water and nutrients in the root system. On most of our 5 Gallon citrus trees, we recommend using one bag of our Kerby's Planting soil when installing new trees. See our planting instructions for more detailed information.  Citrus must be planted in an area that drains well; they will not tolerate wet soil or standing water.

Watering - Fruit split, fruit drying, blossom drop and other problems with citrus are often caused by poor watering practices. Newly planted trees should be watered daily for the first month, every other day in the second month and twice weekly in the third month. Thereafter trees should receive at least an inch of water per week over the entire root system. Did you know that a mature citrus tree can use up to 90 gallons of water per week! If mother nature is not supplying the water in the form of rain, make sure you are watering your trees to keep them healthy and the fruit juicy. 

What goes underneath a citrus tree? The short answer is nothing! Citrus have shallow root systems, with up to 90% of their roots being in the top two feet of soil. This means that any flowers or even grass will compete with the tree for nutrients. The healthiest trees are kept free of weeds, grass and mulch underneath.

Fertilizing - Just like us, citrus trees need their nutrients. For the first year, fertilize monthly with a complete, balanced fertilizer such as Kerby's 8-4-8. This fertilizer contains all of the important micronutrients, such as iron, manganese and zinc, which are all important for plant health and fruit development. In the second year and beyond, fertilize three times per year (spring, summer and fall). Spread the fertilizer evenly from the trunk of the tree out to the drip line.

If you are having trouble reading this newsletter, click here to view it in a browser

Store Hours
Open Seven Days a Week
Monday - Friday,  9:00am - 5:30pm
Sunday,  9:00am - 4:00pm