In the October garden

It's also time to get serious with caring for your citrus plants.

Yates recommends continuing with preventative sprays to deter citrus leaf miner which can damage and distort new foliage as the larvae tunnel under the leaf surface.

Pest Oil is effective prevention, so for best results apply every five to 14 days during flushes of growth. Keep the spray well agitated and thoroughly wet both sides of the leaves until drips occur. Pest Oil will also help control sap sucking scale insects on citrus, which deplete the plants and can contribute to black sooty mould developing.

Little and often is the key to healthy potted citrus, so apply Yates Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food regularly. This liquid fertiliser goes to work quickly as nutrients are absorbed through both the leaves and the roots.

Fruit Fly Control

Fruit fly is a destructive pest which can spoil your summer stone fruits (peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots) and tomatoes, so it’s time to begin a prevention program. In the sub tropics and tropics fruit is susceptible to damage from now, and in temperate areas fruit fly numbers will increase as the weather warms and fruit begins to develop.

Yates Nature’s Way Fruit Fly Control is based on spinosad, an insecticide derived from naturally occurring soil bacteria, and works by tricking the insects into ingesting the spinosad which is combined with an irresistible protein and sugar bait. After pupating in the soil, the female fruit fly looks to feed on a source of protein before she lays her eggs, ingests the bait and a dose of insecticide and never makes it to egg laying stage. This low toxic formulation really works and one 200mL bottle of Yates Natures Way Fruit Fly Control will treat up to 30 trees.

There’s no need to spray the actual fruit. Apply as either a band or a spot spray to the trunk or lower foliage of plants. It’s important to follow the instructions on the pack and start applying while fruit is still small and before it has changed colour. Weekly reapplication is vital to protect the fruit until it’s ready to harvest. Encourage your neighbours to apply the control to their fruit trees too.

Tip: remember to pick up any fallen fruit, put it in a plastic bag and leave it to bake in the sun for a week or so to kill off any fruit fly larvae before disposing of it in the rubbish bin.

Fungal disease is also a problem in tropical fruit and now is the time to begin precautionary treatments.

As humidity and temperatures increase, so do fungal problems such as anthracnose on tropical fruits like mango. Black spots occur on the foliage and new twigs and can spread to the fruit, causing black sunken patches and fruit fall. Used regularly, Yates Liquid Copper Fungicide can help prevent fungal black spot and anthracnose on mangoes. Spraying is necessary from the end of flowering to harvesting the fruit. Spray every four weeks, and during extended periods of wet weather, spray fortnightly. Yates Liquid Copper has ultrafine copper particles which readily mix with water to create an ‘aquagel’ that spreads readily over leaves and stems and sticks in place.

Being a liquid, Yates Liquid Copper is much easier to measure out and mix than traditional powdered copper fungicides and has just a one day withholding period, meaning fruit can be harvested 24 hours after spraying.

Reminder! Continue sprays of Yates Success Ultra to control codling moth, a serious pest of apples and pears. Developed from beneficial soil bacteria, Yates Success Ultra is a highly effective, low toxic spray to control this pest safely, so you can enjoy undamaged apples and pears.

Start spraying for codling moth during early flower bloom and fruit set and continue every 7 to 14 days (until 7 days before harvest) to control subsequent life cycles.

Flowers to Sow

Echinacea Cone Flower
Long flowering from summer right through to autumn, coneflowers are held on tall straight stems which are fabulous for garden colour, and great for picking. The daisy like magenta coloured flowers attract bees and beneficial insects into the garden, and the leaves, roots and flowers have therapeutic properties for gardeners too. Echinacea loves full sun and well drained soil and plants reach 60 cm tall. Sow seeds directly into the garden bed, and cover lightly with Yates Seed Raising Mix.

Delectable dahlias

If you lifted Dahlia tubers in winter, or would like to start some new plantings, now is the time to plant out dahlia tubers. There’s a myriad of varieties to choose from including tall large flowered types and there are compact varieties too. Flower forms range from singles to doubles, cactus to spider and pom pom, and all are perfect for picking. Dahlias provide masses of glorious long lasting summer colour in gardens, borders and pots. Enrich the soil prior to planting with plenty of organics, including Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food.

Choose a sunny position and protect taller growers from wind by staking at planting time. Weeds! Spring is when everything grows rapidly, including pesky weeds! Getting on top of weeds whilst they are in active growth and before they take hold is quick and easy using Yates Zero Rapid Weedkiller, which controls weeds and grasses fast. Tip: Zero contains glyphosate which is non selective and could kill wanted plants - so avoid spraying your favourite flower or vegie seedlings.

Coleus Pots of Beauty

For easy colour in shade, Yates Coleus Pots of Beauty are ideal. These low leafy plants display a variety of foliage colours, leaf shapes and sizes and are perfect in shady garden spots, or grow happily in pots on balconies. The seeds are very fine so sow into trays or pots filled with Yates Seed Raising Mix, just firm down and mist with a spray of water. Keep soil moist until seedlings germinate. Tip prune as plants grow to encourage bushy growth and pinch out flowers to promote leaf growth. Liquid feed every two to three weeks with Thrive Easy Pods All Purpose Soluble Fertiliser.

Tip: Coleus make great easy care indoor plants too, in well lit, airy rooms. Plant a group of three different leaf colours in one pot for a vibrant display.