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Category: Sustainability
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How I stop citrus trees from burning in the sun
Citrus trees can suffer from sunburn. In Australia we have some serious sun and in summer time with no protection, some citrus trees will get burnt. There’s a lot of things we can do to help prevent it. Here are three simple ways to stop the burn and save your trees.
Provide part shade
Provide some shade for your tree by putting up some shade cloth. If your tree is in a pot you can move it into a shadier location. For some of my smaller trees, I put shade cloth on one side and it saves them during the major heat of the day.
You’ll find that the leaves will green up, get softer and grow larger in the shade. Adjust the amount of shade for each tree as their requirements are different.
Oh and yeah, this is great for some fruit too. I’ve found our lemons don’t burn as badly with a little shade.
Paint the trunk white
Grab some paint that will last (water-based latex paint) or find tree trunk paint at your local home hardware centre. Some people mix it with white acrylic paint.
Paint the bottom two thirds or wherever you see sunburn. You’ll see the bark turning brown and eventually dying off if it’s getting burnt.
It’s like sunscreen for trees!
Mulch around the tree
Mulching a few inches around the base is a great way to save water, keep the citrus tree roots moist for longer and trap some of the heat into the soil.
Mulch the width of the tree.
Other ways to prevent burn
Water your trees before hot days. The night before is good so they’ve had adequate time to soak up the water.
Burlap barriers. These can be used instead or as well as the white paint method. However be mindful to keep checking where it comes into contact with the tree bark and no rot is forming.
Put geofabric around the base. I wasn’t a fan of this tbh, but I tested it and it’s worked well in smaller pots to reduce evaporation.
Reflective heat off building or other surfaces. I have a corner of the garden where three trees sit in an area with three light coloured walls around them. There’s quite a bit of radiant light and heat coming off the walls and the trees struggle.
I think I’ll be moving them soon.
Don’t prune during the heat of summer. It opens up wounds which enable water loss through evaporation. I’ve had trees die on me because I cut branches off during summer.
I hope these help, leave a comment if you give these a try.
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Soy sauce fish from sushi stores are marine hazards
Plastic soy sauce fish are marine hazards.
They’re one of the most common items found washed up on beaches. I refuse them at sushi stores when I’m offered but the staff. They’re single use plastic and for such a small amount of content. The amount of plastic outweighs the content inside.
You may have kept them to upcycle or just because they’re cute. Well they are cute. So if you have them stored up, here’s a few fun ideas to upcycle them! 🫶🩵
A little history
The lunch charm, was its original Japanese name. In 1954 Teruo Watanabe was asked to design up a small container for soy sauce that people could use at lunchtime.
The design
The design criteria were set as, a sauce container like a straw that could be easily thrown away. It’s polyethylene recyclable plastic. He came up with the fish design and later a golden gourd and pig were also created.
Soy sauce fish are major marine hazards
The plastic fish are one of the most common items washed up on beaches and they’re eaten by marine life.
Don’t accept them from sushi stores
If they offer them to you, just say no.
A few ways to upcycle them
Make a necklace! The little fish make cute necklace ornaments and you can fill them with colour.
Fill a vase
They look awesome in water filled with colour. Just drop in some basil.
Decorate your phone case
Decorate your phone case with them. Use a hot glue gun and stick them on.
Make tiny fish lights
Cut off the cap (nose) and use them as fairy light shades. You could even colour them with permanent marker. Liiiiittt
Give them to a friend
They might enjoy chasing them.
Thanks of your support. With your help we can reduce the number of soy sauce fish in the oceans.
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How I grow citrus tree cuttings
Citrus tree cuttings are one of the easiest ways to clone a fruit tree. Just by taking a good size cutting and getting it to strike, you can have a cloned tree very quickly. Here’s one of the ways I duplicate citrus trees in my garden.
In Australia I do it right after fruiting and the warmth of summer is perfect for striking the cuttings in a humid container.
Gather your cuttings
Figure out which tree you’d like to duplicate and choose the right time to take some thicker cuttings from it. A good time is when it’s not fruiting or flowering.
Cuttings that have a higher probability of survival are, 30cm / 12″ or longer and as thick as a pencil or thicker. The thicker and longer the better chance of it surviving. I get pretty much 100% strike rate with cuttings that are thumb thickness.
Preserve or plant
Plant your cuttings immediately (to strike them) or you can put them away to keep them for later. To preserve them, put them in a zip lock bag and put them in the fridge.
Plant in a container
To root your cuttings, plant them in a clear container with a removable lid. I’ve tested coco peat and soil and a mix seems to work well. But just soil will work fine.
Plant your cuttings at 45 degrees.
Keep them in the shade
Put the lid back on and keep the container in the shade. The soil needs to be slightly moist. Too wet and the cuttings will go mouldy and start to rot.
Open the lid and air them out every few days. A slightly loose fitting lid helps with trapping the humidity in but also letting oxygen in.
Wait till roots sprout
After a few weeks, new leaves will sprout from the cuttings. The roots won’t come until a month or two later. Once they have roots 10cm / 4″ long (you might be able to see from the side of the container), then they’re ready to plant out.
Plant your tree
Carefully remove the cuttings and plant your lil trees in pots. The roots are fragile so be careful. Keep them moist and in the shade for a couple of months. Then they should be ready to plant outside.
You’ve done it! You made yourself a whole bunch of new citrus trees. Not long before you’ll be enjoying the fresh fruit!
Leave a comment if you found this useful.
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How I grow stone fruit trees from seed
How I grow stone fruit trees from seed. There’s a huge variety of stone fruit and if you’re lucky to live in a climate where they grown, they’re so delicious and amazing trees to have in the garden.
Grab your favourite stone fruit
In this case I chose peaches. I love the white peaches in particular. It’s a habit I picked up in Japan where the white peaches are so big, they’re a meal in one. Eat your fruit and save the pit.
Give it a rinse to get the flesh off, it will be easier to handle.
Hammer time
Grab a hammer (or you can use something else solid – a brick) and hit the pit gently on the seam. It will eventually crack open. Hit it repeatedly but gently. If you hit it too hard you’ll likely smash the soft seed inside. It takes practice.
Check the quality of your seed.
Prepare your seed
If the seed looks pale yellow and dried up, it is likely a goner. Your seed needs to be round and firm. Put it into some water for a few hours to rehydrate.
Plant your seed
last your seed into a pot, a sandy soil seems to be good. 2-3cm or 1″ deep is plenty. Keep the soil moist and put it in the shade. Full sun will likely kill the seed.
You got peaches!
After a month or so, your seed will germinate and a small seedling will grow. Keep it in the shade and grow it to 40cm or 1ft. Bigger if you’d like. Then plant it in the ground in a sunny position, water it often and mulch the base.
Put plenty of organic matter in the hold when you plant it. Fruit trees love that. It will take a few years, but eventually you will have grown a beautiful peach tree that bears lots of yummy peaches!
I’ve grown lots of stone fruit trees this way. I have several nectarines growing via this method at the moment. Good luck!
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