It’s Nearly Time to go Undercover

The citrus trees have had a wonderful summer out of doors, but I’m keeping an eye on the forecast and will soon bring them into the kitchen conservatory for the winter. Before I do so I’ve got the laborious but worthwhile task of checking under the leaves for signs of scale insect – little brown capsules usually (but not always) along central rib of leaf. A cotton wool bud dipped in methylated spirits does the job. The conservatory is a bit warm and dry for their taste, but I do stand them on a gravel-filled tray and spritz them frequently with rain water. I will reduce watering as the temperature drops and feed them with a specially formulated winter feed about once every six weeks.