About our Supplier:

The trees we purchase on your behalf are grown in the open ground, wrenched and dug up in May and bagged for sale. Our experience with them is that they establish much more quickly than pot grown trees. Trees we planted two years ago are already fruiting prolifically and growing extremely well. Planting in autumn while the soil still retains its warmth helps a speedy establishment.

General Citrus Care: 

• Citrus all need free drainage and consistent moisture levels in the soil. If you have heavy soil, make a raised mound 1m diameter before planting
• They need protection from wind and frost, but some varieties are more cold hardy or heat demanding than others
• They are gross feeders and love a dressing of chicken manure, other animal manure or blood and bone spread around the drip line at least 3 times a year: spring, early summer and early autumn
• They need good levels of Magnesium as well, provided by dolomite lime or Epsom salts.
• Mulch well to keep down weeds and retain soil moisture, making sure the mulch does not come into contact with the trunk
• Try to plant Lemon and Grapefruit away from seedless varieties of citrus (they will cross pollinate and make seedless varieties seedy)
• Now here’s the tough bit. Remove all fruit for the 1st year after planting, to encourage your tree to send its energy into developing a strong base for many years of fruiting ahead
• Citrus in general don’t need pruning except to form them a little as young trees
• When picking fruit, it is best to do it with a pair of secateurs rather than pulling the fruit off, leaving the stalk button on the fruit, and ideally clipping back the shoot to a new lateral growing further back from the harvested fruit

Citrus Rootstock: 

All these varieties, unless otherwise mentioned, are on Trifoliata (Poncirus trifoliata) rootstock, which is able to withstand various soil conditions including heavy wet soil, (however MUST be free draining,) is root rot (Phytophthora) resistant and produces very high quality, thin skinned, great flavoured fruit.  

ORDERING AND DELIVERY NOTES 

Order for citrus are open now! Please order as soon as possible, as our supplier has limited availability of certain varieties. Last year we tried to order our citrus in January and already most varieties were out of stock. So, early bird gets the worm! 

These trees will be available in May 2021. Gerald and I will be collecting them from the mainland and bringing them back in our van. They will be inspected by Auckland Council Biosecurity for argentine ants and rainbow/plague skinks prior to being allowed on the barge.

You can choose whether to have your trees delivered on May 22 or June 26 (approx).  Exact date will given closer to the time. There is a $10 delivery fee for the citrus trees, unless you collect them from Okiwi Passion.

We will be in touch closer to the delivery date to discuss pick-up/drop-off locations. 

PAYMENT

At checkout, you will be required to pay a 10% deposit on your trees. The outstanding balance will be invoiced to you in April 2021. 

Payment options include credit card via Stripe, which will incur a 3% surcharge; or by direct bank transfer via PoliPay.

Let’s get to ordering our trees! 

Grapefruit

The New Zealand grapefruit is a pummelo (C.maxima) crossed with a mandarin (C. reticulata) and is not a true grapefruit at all, in fact it is more of a tangelo!! Wheeney came into NZ from Australia, probably from a similar cross, and is closer to the pummelo. Star Ruby is a true grapefruit, but needs very warm conditions to do well.

Lemon

Such a wide choice of varieties here! Essential in any garden! Squeezed on fresh fish, lemon curd, G&T, lemon risotto (ask us for this amazing recipe!)

Lime

Limes can be used green when they are considered immature right through to when they turn yellow when they are fully ripe. The most tangy ‘Lime’ flavour is obtained when the fruit are half way between and are coloured a yellow-green.However, it is very difficult to produce green limes in NZ as fruit turns yellow with the cold in winter. It is the cold that gives all citrus their colour.  

Mandarin

Mandarin Satsuma 

Satsuma generally have the greatest cold tolerance and also fruit the earliest of the citrus. They probably originated in Japan. Fruiting times may vary with local site conditions, and are approximate only.

Orange 

Tangor

A hybrid between a mandarin and a sweet orange

Tangelo

About our Supplier:

The trees we purchase on your behalf are grown in the open ground, wrenched and dug up in May and bagged for sale. Our experience with them is that they establish much more quickly than pot grown trees. Trees we planted two years ago are already fruiting prolifically and growing extremely well. Planting in autumn while the soil still retains its warmth helps a speedy establishment.

ORDERING AND DELIVERY NOTES 

Order for citrus are open now! Please order as soon as possible, as our supplier has limited availability of certain varieties. Last year we tried to order our citrus in January and already most varieties were out of stock. So, early bird gets the worm!

These trees will be available in May 2021. Gerald and I will be collecting them from the mainland and bringing them back in our van. They will be inspected by Auckland Council Biosecurity for argentine ants and rainbow/plague skinks prior to being allowed on the barge.

You can choose whether to have your trees delivered on May 22 or June 26 (approx).  Exact date will given closer to the time. There is a $10 delivery fee for the citrus trees, unless you collect them from Okiwi Passion.

We will be in touch closer to the delivery date to discuss pick-up/drop-off locations.

PAYMENT

At checkout, you will be required to pay a 10% deposit on your trees. The outstanding balance will be invoiced to you in April 2021.

Payment options include credit card via Stripe, which will incur a 3% surcharge; or by direct bank transfer via PoliPay.

Let’s get to ordering our trees! 

Apples

We don’t have many of the common commercial varieties of apples here, as such, many are susceptible to black spot and need a regular spray programme. These ones are selected especially for disease resistance and flavour. Apples are generally self fertile, but fruit set will improve if cross pollination occurs. Often a neighbour’s tree will do, but crab apples make wonderful pollinators.

Rootstocks: Most of these trees are grafted onto MM106 rootstock. This is a semi-dwarfing stock and at maturity the trees will reach a height of around 2.5-4.5 m depending on the variety; they should be planted 3.5-4m apart. Come into fruit bearing after 3-4 years, some a lot earlier. MM106 confers resistance to woolly aphis but trees are susceptible to collar rot on wet sites. (Mound the soil if your soil is heavy/wet and avoid bringing mulch right up to the trunk.) Use a temporary stake for the first few years in an exposed situation. We can also source a few varieties grafted onto 793 rootstock, which gives a very vigorous tree, (more pruning!) but very good for heavy, wet soil, 793 produces trees that are larger than Northern Spy and better adapted to a wider range of soil types. 793 produces trees that crop earlier and heavier than Northern Spy. Resistance to Wooly aphids is excellent.

Crab Apples

Very free flowering trees with cascades of blooms, very useful as pollinators for apples. Extremely hardy and suited to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions, small to medium height.

Apricots

All the apricots we are stocking are suited to a low chill winter. We have chosen varieties known to do well on GBI and/or to be disease resistant. The apricots listed are either grafted onto Myrobolan plum rootstock or onto Peach. Myrobolan Plum is adapted to a wide range of soil and climatic conditions, growing well on light sandy soils but tolerates fairly heavy soils and excess moisture. Myrobolan confers resistance to crown rot but is susceptible to root knot nematode. Trees will take longer to start fruting and be more vigorous. Apricots budded onto peach rootstock are less tolerant of wet conditions, but do very well in light sandy soil (eg Medlands) and tolerate drought well.

Feijoa

Feijoas are every Kiwi’s favourite fruit. I call them the NZ Easter egg. Feijoa trees are tough and good doers, requiring minimal care (they are in the same family as pohutukawa and karo, pretty tough relations!). However, they are gross feeders, so they like manure of some kind once or twice a year, running chooks beneath them will fertilise them and take care of the bronze beetle which emerges from the soil in September to October and can, unchecked, do considerable damage to the flowers and young fruit. Pruning isn’t essential but you do want to avoid the trees becoming overly crowded, so as to encourage bird pollination. Choosing an early, a mid and a late fruiting variety will mean you can have feijoas for 2-3 months of the year. Larger sizes available: 5L= $30 ,6L $35,8L= $39,PB18 = $45. Other varieties available, please ask.

Figs

Figs are such a rewarding tree to grow on GBI. They love the heat, tolerate drought and fruit abundantly, some varieties cropping twice, the first (breba) crop in early to mid summer; followed by an autumn crop. Plant in well drained soil in a sunny spot. They benefit from having their root spread curtailed, so rocky spots, near banks etc is ideal. Be prepared to net the fruit as birds love them.

Grapes

Who doesn’t relish a bunch of gorgeous, sweet grapes that burst with juice and flavour in your mouth. I still have vivid childhood memories from North Africa, where I grew up, of grape vines hung with voluptuous bunches of ripe grapes, festooning sundrenched whitewashed balconies. For some reason it is a memory that fills me with deep happiness. By planting a range of grape varieties you can be eating grapes over a three month period! However, to produce good grapes is a lot of work. Vigorous variteies should be planted 3-5 metres apart and less vigorous ones can be planted as close as 1.5 m. They must be planted in an open, sunny position with plenty of ventilation. This will ensure minimal disease risk (mildew) and well flavoured, sweet grapes. Table grapes also need a richer soil and more irrigation than wine grapes, in slightly acid to neutral soil, and good drainage. Keep the root area free of weeds, preferably with mulch.To get good production they will need winter and summer pruning, (many books/websites deal with this). Needless to say on GBI you will have to net the grapes as they start to show colour to protect against birds! Once again, most of these varieties are chosen for their disease resistance. All these grapes are grafted onto phylloxera resistant root stock.

Mulberry

Mulberries are another tree requiring little attention, which will reward you with abundant fruit, slightly tart but nice eating fresh or made into very tasty jams and pies. Eventually grow into large spreading very attractive trees.

Nectarines & Peaches

Overall these trees need good drainage and plenty of air movement to stay healthy and prevent leaf curl. Do not crowd among other trees, give them plenty of breathing space, and prune to an open vase. They are generally a short lived tree, living on average 8-10 years. Do not plant peaches where peaches have previously grown. Peach root stock gives trees up to 4m high, and trees will be drought resistant. Always prune your peaches and nectarines in the warm dry weather that follows fruiting, NOT in winter to avoid silverleaf. Peaches and nectarines are self fertile, so do not need another variety to crosspollinate with.

Pears

Pears generally require less care than apples, providing delicious fruit. Most pears require cross pollination, so the planting of more than one variety is recommended. They are great for espaliering. Rootstock greatly affects size! Briefly: QuA confers high tolerance to woolly aphid, root lesion nematode and crown gall. It reduces tree size to about 3.5 metres, controls vigour (less pruning), and encourages fruiting at an earlier age QuC gives similar protection to Quince A but the tree will be slightly smaller (3m)and will fruit earlier in its life cycle, so may need support in its early years . Produces few suckers. BA 29 resistance to pear decline, crown gall, nematodes, root aphids; trees precocious(early fruiting) and high yielding, trees much larger than QuA and QuC, handles heavy soils well, drought tolerant

Nashi Pears

Nashi pears are deliciously sweet, crunchy, juicy and very refreshing. It is a shame they are not as available as they used to be. Their flavour is incedible if allowed to ripen on the tree. Great home garden tree.

Plums

Plums are among the easiest of the stone fruit to grow, and the least disease prone. Pay attention to the pollinator guides; self fertile varieties often improve fruit set with another variety. There are two main types of plum – European (gages) (Prunus domestica) and Japanese (P. salacina). Generally the European varieties require cooler winters, but many still do well in the North. They are mostly yellow fleshed with a dsitinctive, fabulouspear drop flavour. The Japanese plums require warmer summers. Plums are grafed either onto Peach or Plum. Trees grafted onto peach are drought tolerant, prefer lighter soils and will grow to full size. Plums grafted onto Plum will be very vigorous and take longer to start fruiting, but will be more tolerant of heavy soil.

Heirloom Plums

Organically grown NZ heirloom plum varieties these varieties are among those collected by Koanga gardens over the past 30 years mostly in Northland. They will be supplied as 1 year old maidens, ie whips 1-1.5m tall. For the cost you get a small tree, but actually maidens have a better root/shoot ratio so better establishment, and you can shape and train right from the start.

Quince

Quince fruit have a delightful fragrance which emanates when they are ripe and will perfume a room or an airing cupboard. A rich full flavour will develop if allowed to thoroughly ripen on the tree to a rich yellow. However they are inedible raw. They are either poached or made into jellies, jams and paste. A very attractive tree at blossom time and again in autumn with the golden pear-like fruit. The trees are easy to grow, thriving in sunny sheltered spots with heavy moist soils, and do well in hot dry summers. They are all self fertile. Tip bearers on current season’s growth.

Raspberry

Raspberries are SO delicious they are hard to resist! They need full sun, although over here a little shade wouldn’t go astray, and good drainage. Canes should be planted 1 m apart and contained or managed to ensure they don’t spread. This variety is autumn fruiting/everbearing and suitable for growing in the North. They produce berries on new season’s canes. After fruiting canes should be pruned to ground level. Alternatively you can simply cut them down or even mow them to the ground every winter, resulting in one long crop starting late in summer. You will avoid bronze beetle damage as these varieties will flower after the bronze beetle have retreated to the ground in early summer.