Orchard design, tree and crop management
Orchard design. All citrus trees prefer well drained soils with a pH of between 5 and 6.5. In areas with high rainfall or on heavier soils, trees should be budded onto C. trifoliata rootstock and tree rows mounded to help improve drainage during wet weather. Trees should not be planted on soils that are not free-draining, particularly in prolonged wet weather.
It is important to establish windbreaks prior to planting to protect trees from prevailing winds as the fruit are very susceptible to wind rub and skin damage. Because finger limes are naturally very thorny, the fruit are easily damaged by the thorns which cause the fruit to be downgraded or unsaleable on the fresh fruit market.
Trees should be planted in spring after the threat of frosts has passed. In warmer areas trees can also be planted in autumn. Trees are generally slow to