Satsuma Plums ripen in Mid-January and are ideal for jam, bottling etc. Protection from birds is usually essential.

  Complete all winter pruning by the beginning of October with apples being the last to flower. Watch for possible infestations of Black Aphid on stone-fruit trees and later problems with Pear Slug that can infest most fruit trees. Mavrik is a useful and safe insecticide to use.

 If leaf scale is present on Citrus trees use white oil. The presence of ants running up and down the trunks of the trees is often diagnostic that there are Scale insects somewhere on the tree. Ants 'farm' them to obtain the sticky honey-like substances they exude

 Apply the Neutrog fertiliser, 'Gigantic' around the drip line of all fruit trees.

Keep weeds away from the base of all fruit trees.

 Peaches, Plums & Apricots grow well in this area.

Suggested varieties: --

Plums: Satsuma, Mariposa (these two should be planted together as they cross pollinate to produce heavier crops). Santa Rosa is self fertile but improves if Mariposa is used as a pollinator. Frontier is another good variety.

Apricots: The old Moorpark is still a widey grown favourite, plus Trevatt, Hunter & Earlicot.

Nectarines: Goldmine, Arctic Rose and Anzac are all white fleshed and freestone. Flavortop is an excellent yellow fleshed freestone variety for eating, cooking, drying or bottling.

Peaches: Anzac is early maturing and freestone. Redhaven and Golden Queen are well proven favourites with the late season Golden Queen excellent for bottling.

Citrus varieties grow well in the Warragul & Drouin area. In fact they are probably the easiest and most rewarding of all fruit to grow.

Recomended Varieties: --

 Lemons: Lisbon, Eureka and Meyer

 Oranges: Washington Navel, Valencia

 Mandarins : Emperor,Imperial, Afourer (also known as Murcott)

 Limes; Tahitian, Kaffir, Australian Limes.

Grapefruit: Marsh, Ruby.

 Cumquats:Marumi, Ngami, Variegated

 NOTE: Double grafted trees with two varieties can save space as can those grafted onto dwarf rootstock.