Eureka citrus trees, productive in home garden

   Citrus "Eureka" lemons trees are commonly used as a citrus tree for home gardens.   They are known for there hardy nature and large production.   You can grow Eureka citrus lemons trees yourself at home.   Generally speaking the Eureka lemon trees grow to around 5m (16ft) tall, which makes it one of the larger lemon trees.   One advantage of using a Eureka lemon tree is that they grow quite quickly.   They tend to be a larger tree then Meyer lemons, however there are many new dwarf varieties available which only grow to around 2m tall.   You can grow them in pots or containers, however it may be worth looking at Meyer lemons or dwarf varieties for this purpose.   The difference Eureka lemons and Meyer lemons is mainly the size of the tree and the fruit. Eureka lemon fruit tend to me a rougher looking skin and slightly larger fruit.  

Citrus Eureka lemon tree, climate for growing

   Like most citrus, Eureka lemons prefer Temperate, Warm temperate, Mediterranean (and where allows, cool temperate, with less production) climates.   Eureka lemons prefer mild winters and warm summers and avoid areas with heavy frosts (as it burns the new growth).    They are actually a very hardy tree and can withstand dry periods, however, during very dry times trees will stress and drop fruit, so maintain moisture during dry spells.    So, if your tree suddenly drops fruit, check soil moisture.   We find that using a moisture soil probe is the best way to find out if the soil is dry deeper down (if you would like to buy one we sell them for $18- just email us).   If you are planting a Eureka lemon at home, find the sunniest spot in the garden as citrus grow best in full sun. 

Click Here for more details

Soils, how to fertilise citrus Eureka lemon trees

 The best soil for citrus lemon Eureka is a sandy loam (sandy soil with small amount of clay) and a good amount of organic matter.     This type of soil allows for good drainage, adequate moisture retention and the organic matter assists with the holding and movement of nutrients.    Although not all of us have this type of soil, you can do your best to improve the soil you have to get the best from your Eureka lemon.    If you have a clay soil you can dig through gypsum (slow acting clay breaker).   If you have sandy soil, you can bring in soil improver, compost etc and dig this in, if your tree is already established use it as a soil top dress.   Generally speaking the one thing you can do to improve your soil for citrus is to add manures.   We find that cow and sheep manure are the best to use when improving the soil.    These manures help break up heavy soils, hold moisture and gently fertilise.   Many people use chicken manure, however the draw back to this is that it turns the soil alkaline over time, it is a good fertiliser, but only use this now and then during the growing season. 

When it comes to fertilising your Eureka lemons you must fertilise regularly as they need good nitrogen to grow well. You can use specialised granular citrus fertilisers, available from most nurseries.   These fertilisers are designed to provide a balanced amount of NPK and trace elements to make a healthy tree and good fruit.   You can also get specialised organic fertilisers designed for citrus, these are also very good.   It is best to fertilise before flowering time (in each area it is a little different, but generally spring and autumn).   Eureka lemons tend to grow throughout the warmer parts of the year, spring, summer and autumn (so these are good times to fertilise).

Click Here for more details

Pest, growth problems Eureka citrus lemons

Generally speaking Eureka lemons have only a few pest problems. Leaf miner seems to affect them more then other varieties.   The insects seem to be attracted to them.   However if you keep your tree healthy you can reduce pest attacks.   Following are a few of the pest problems that Eureka lemons can get, you may not have these in your region, (you are lucky). 

Leaf miner pest, these make the leaves curl up and deform new growth. Generally Leaf miner are active in the cooler months and tend to leave a silver trail under the leaf.   The can however affect Eureka lemons into early spring.   They are one of the worst pests on citrus generally.   Regards treatment,  you can use white oil and water, which is a type of oil that blocks the breathing holes of the insects, it is considered to be passive control and regular spraying is required for it to work.   However, be aware there are other mixtures of white oil and certain chemicals available, before you go ahead and use these consult your local nurseryman. 

Scale insects, there are many types of these pests and they all do different damage.   Some are on the leaves (and also make leaves curl) and some other varieties will be on the stems, some are hard and brown, some are soft and white and some are waxy and black.   They all do the same thing, they suck the nutrients out of the plant and reduce the vigour of the plant.   Control is the same as above, use white oil over a long period, a number of treatments are required, please consult your nurseryman on this. 

Sap sucking insects, during the growing season (warm part of year) sap sucking bugs like the Bronze Orange Beetle (also know as stink bugs) and aphids attack Eureka Citrus.   Both can do damage to the new growth. There are many other types of bugs that also do similar damage.     There are chemical insecticides that can control these pests systemically and last a number of weeks. However, Pyrethrum and white oil and garlic sprays do a very good job as a knock down control (and have very little residual affect).   You can purchase these from nurseries, they are considered to be more natural ways to control these pests (you will have to treat the trees a number of times when using these type of sprays).

Click Here for more details