Planting Information > What to do When > May

Fruit

Custard Apple:  Peak harvest period.  Harvest every 3 to 7 days.  Watering can be tapered off. If you have not done your spraying for mealy bug do it now.  Spray individual fruit with pest oil or wipe on metho and water (30% metho + 70% water)

Figs: Taper off the water.

Lychee: Don’t let trees dry out.  Check for Erinose mite and spray with wettable sulphur.

Low Chill Stone Fruit: Fertilise trees with a high organic potassium fertilizer 50 gms per sq m to the drip line of trees.  Prune trees now. 1/3 to ¼ of the tips can be taken off. Any inward or downward wood can be pruned.

Mango: Apply gypsum if soil pH is 6 or more. If below 6 pH, apply lime.  50 gms per sqm of either.  Continue with copper based spray for anthracnose or with 25mls leaf microbes and
5 gms wettable sulphur per 1 litre of water.

Passion-fruit: Water can be tapered off. Harvest fallen fruit every 3 - 4 days under vines.

Pawpaw: If you have not applied boron, apply now, 1 teaspoon per mature tree.  40% of annual fertiliser can be applied now to mature trees. (20grams per sq. metre of a high organic potassium fertiliser).

Persimmon: Main harvest time.  Declining water needs.  Apply a little super-fine lime and gypsum, 20 gms of each per sq m.

Strawberries: Plants should be coming away well.  A little organic potassium fertiliser can be applied now.  Use fish emulsion or kelp spray regularly over plants to keep in good health. Add 20mls molasses per litre of water + 10mls leaf microbes.

Bananas: De-sucker plants, cutting at ground level. Cut out centre with a sharp downward motion around the circumference to the centre forming a well. If they do not die, use 20mls of kero to the bottom of this well.

Citrus: If any scale and fungal problems still exist a further spray with pest oil and leaf microbes will be needed. Add the pest oil +15 ml per litre of the leaf microbes. Early varieties can be picked this month.

Companion Plants

Coriander: It repels aphid, black fly, cabbage moth and worm. It is a good companion to cabbage and carrots.

Dill: Repels cabbage moth. Good with cabbage, celery and all types of tomato.

Fennel: Repels fleas so put it on your pets bedding. Don't grow near beans, kohlrabi or tomatoes.

Garlic: Plant near apple and peach trees, lettuce, parsnips, roses. Keep it away from beans, cabbage and strawberries. Use it for earache, abscess and ringworm. All internal and external infections, high blood pressure and cholesterol.

Companion plant cucumbers with basil, bean, borage, brassicas, carrot, corn, dill, lettuce, nasturtium, parsnip, peas, radish, sunflower, tansy. Not with potatoes or sage.