Ben’s tips

for keeping citrus happy

• Mexican limes are prone to black mould, like many marginal subtropicals in the stress of harsh winds and seemingly endless rain, but a quick spray with Conqueror oil and a good rub of the leaves soon rids the plant of this affliction. I’m lucky enough to have native slugs which can be left on the foliage to clean the trees of the mould.

• Because of scale’s rapid growth, you will need to do a bit of thumbbased squashing at the branch nodes.

• limes flower so much that it pays to snip back some of the over-enthusiastic branching sprays.