Fruit trees

Dwarf Mango (Ono variety)

Potted in Oct 2010

 

The bottom section of this pot was filled with a free draining organic potting mix, and the rest of the pot was filled with an organic vegie mix, which contains a bit of clay to retain moisture, then topped of with pea straw mulch.  This method of potting was suggested from the guys at the Green life soil co.  After a few weeks with some days reaching the mid 30's in Perth, the moisture was held very well although around half of the leaves had burnt dry patches.

 

Mango bought from Tass1trees in the Swan Valley.  This nursery is very well priced and a lot of his stock comes from QLD. 

Dwarf lime (below left) 

Dwarf lemon (below right)

Dwarf lemon and lime potted using organic potting mix. Topped off with pine bark mulch to keep the moisture in. Fertilised with Dynamic Lifter for citris in autumn, then pelletised chicken manure, Richgrow fruit and citrus fertiliser and rock minerals in Spring.  Excess foliage pruned in Spring. Many flowers and buds started to appear late winter.  Pots are raised on bricks for extra drainage during wet months and saucered in dry months.  I expect fruit to be hanging off these in early 2011.

Eureka Lemon tree

I removed this from a pot and planted in my Mother's backyard in autumn. Flowers appeared a few months later in winter. Some foliage was pruned throughout winter to keep the growth heading upwards. Dynamic Lifter for Citrus, Multigrow (chicken manure) and more top mulch added in Spring. 

Here's my planting recipe:  Hole dug to twice the size of root ball. At bottom of hole, added soil improver, blood and bone meal and osmocote.  Stirred the mix up a bit, placed more soil improver on top, then put tree in.  Side filled the hole using bags of soil improver, premium potting mix and sand. Potting mix is designed for pots, so an absorbent organic media must be added if using it to plant in the ground. Hole topped off with Riversafe fertiliser gransules and pine bark mulch in a circle as big as the future canopy will soon extend to.

In the background is a pomegranate tree. Planted by my mother in 1968 (from a cutting from the previous house) Even though this tree continually fruited over the years, the fruit was often split, gnawed at or not properly developed for about the last 10 years. I decided to begin revamping it in April 2010. We cut it back to about half of the size and opened up the centre of the canopy. I fertilised by dumping bags of soil improver, some blood and bone and Riversafe Garden-Magic granulated slow release fertiliser around the base of the foliage canopy (as seen behind Eureka lemon tree). A few weeks later, I topped it off with wood chip mulch and left it over winter.  In spring, the winter grass grew to HIGHER THAN EVER where I had fertilised and directly downhill of that area. There were dozens of sucker branches shooting out of the base of the tree and dozens of new bright red flowers and fruit developing. I then re fertilised with more blood and bone, pelletised chicken manure, Richgro fruit and citrus fertiliser and a handful of potash.

Tomatoes and Peppers

Tomatoes, Capsicum and Chillis
Botanical familty:  Solanaceae (tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato). 

Capsicum planted Oct 09, med fertility mix, topped up in spring and autumn with mushroom compost and worm castings. I'm hoping of getting 2 years from it. Pruned back to two thirds of its size Oct 2010 (just after new growth appeared) and fertilised with multigrow (pellitised poultry manure).  Beware of using too much mushroom compost as this will raise the pH level making the soil more alkaline. I've used iron sulphate or sulphate powder to lower my pH.

The main plant grew a prollifc amount of buds over Summer and Autumn 2010 (mainly after lowering my pH). I pinched about two thirds of them off to allow the remaining bugs to turn into large green capsicums. I cut most off when green, leaving some on to turn red.  The ones left on too long went soft and bugs got to them via a small hole near the stem.

Companions: My capsicums and chillis have grown close to each other well. Basil and tomatoe are best friends. I've found lone basil shoots that I didnt plant growing near the base of my tomatoe stems. French Marigolds planted close to tomatoes will help keep away Nemetodes, altho every one of my Marigolds have been eaten by Slaters. 

Pruned Capsium, Oct 2010.  

The yellowing curling leaves is a sign of low magnesium. I treated this with Epson Salts.

Capsicum, Jalapeno and Thai Chilli, Autumn 2010. The chillis went dormant over winter. The capsicum pushed a few more out over winter.

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Roma tomatoe vine. Planted Nov 2008, Photo taken May 2009 after a good summer growth.  I did not prune this vine much (as you can see) but it still gave me around 100 small tasty tomatoes. I removed the vine in winter, so it lasted me about 8 months.