Here’s a good tip for spraying fruit trees

I saw this suggested in one of the Facebook gardening groups to which I belong and thought it was a very good suggestion which I would pass along to you. This year, mark down in your garden diary the very first date on which you notice any colour on the buds of your fruit trees (technically referred to as bud break). As soon as you get next year’s diary, copy that date across. Then in next year’s diary count backwards from that date for 14 days and mark that date “spray three”. Count back from that day for another 14 days and mark that as “spray two”, and another 14 days and mark that as “spray one’. Then use that to time your winter cleanup copper spraying regime. If the weather is unsettled, you can reduce the time between the sprays to about 10 days, but try and keep the final spray a full 14 days before budbreak. That way, you won’t risk spraying as the flowers are opening, which will lead to them dropping off.

It’s been a spectacular year for citrus, and you need to reward your trees after that heavy crop. Sprinkle slow-release citrus fertiliser at the recommended rate under trees to the dripline now and water in well. Repeat in three months.