How to grow the lemon caviar in a biological way
How to grow the lemon caviar in a biological way
The cultivation of lemon caviar (Citrus australasica F.Muell., 1858), also known under the name of Australian Finger Lime is possible in temperate climates, provided that some precautions are respected. It is in fact a plant native to Australia that grows spontaneously in the subtropical areas and in the rainforest of the regions bordering Queensland and New South Wales.
It is a plant that is talked about a lot but if you want to cultivate it you have to carefully follow its needs.
It is a plant that can bloom from 2 to 3 times a year from the month of March with flowers with three petals and a pale mottled pink color of less than one cm and almost imperceptible smell.
The fruits of this plant (4 to 8 cm in length and 2.5 cm in diameter) resemble fingers (this is why it is called Finger Lime) and take on a reddish brown color while the pulp is granular ( thinking about caviar) is a pale pink color. In our habitats the average size that can reach the plant, which has a bushy and shrubby habit are about 3 meters with leaves of 1.5-2.5 cm.
Due to its characteristics Citrus Australasica can be grown outdoors only in the south and in the most coastal areas as it is a plant that can not stand frosts (if not very short and with temperatures close to zero). The characteristics of the soils must be of the loose type or at most of medium mixture with limited limestone content and a good content in organic matter (with a pH between values between 5 and 6.5). It must be placed in a sunny area and if more plants are implanted place them at a distance of at least 4 m. For pruning remember that it should be done little, following the natural tendency and thinning slightly inside. The suckers and shoots that should develop under the graft must be eliminated.
While for irrigation you can behave as in the case of citrus fruits knowing that starting from the moment when the soil begins to lose moisture you have to make up for it with constant irrigations. While the ideal fertilization is the organic one in replanting (to be placed in the hole (just 40 x 40 x 40 cm) with 4-6 kg of mature manure or compost, then you can bring mature manure during the end of winter possibly mixed with ashes obtained from the burning of prunings or other plant products (which obviously must not have residues of pesticides or synthetic products) .Official is the hypothesis of green manure with legumes (including lupine).
For the purchase of plants must be considered that can only be found in some specialized nurseries or online (taking care to verify that the label bears the scientific name of Citrus australasica). On average, the plants purchased should have a size of 80 cm.
For adversity these can be more represented by aphids or aleurodidi. Against these you can always act with solutions based on Marseille soap and garlic macerates.