 ello fellow Earthlings. Welcome to the
first of a two-part series on caring for your subtropical and tropical fruits.
But first, a thank you. July was an amazing month. Hundreds of you sent
email and faxes requesting information on natural gardening practices. We
solved a lot of problems together without using any harmful chemicals. It's
gratifying to notice that so many of you are enjoying the benefits of chemical-
and pesticide-free gardening. It is also nice to know that so many of you
read the San Diego Earth Times. Thank you, and keep those questions a rollin'.
Now, let's take a walk in the garden...
 Early summer is the best time to
concentrate on feeding your citrus, avocado and other exotic fruit trees
and shrubs. The warm weather stimulates growth of these plant types and
now is one of the times of year that they are in greatest need of fertilization.
The two types of subtropical fruits
that we are most familiar with are citrus and avocado. These two fruit types
have very similar needs at this time of year, so it is convenient to feed
them both with the same type of food.
After the spring bloom and fruit
set, your fruit trees use the summer heat in combination with the long days
to grow fruit and to produce adequate foliage to protect that fruit from
the elements.
At this time of year the element
nitrogen becomes very important to the overall health of your citrus fruits
and avocados. When nitrogen is supplied via natural/ organic fertilizers
you can be assured that a minimum of growth-associated problems will arise.
When fruit trees are fed with chemical fertilizers, they will produce unnatural
spurts of very soft growth that certainly looks impressive but is also a
signal to all potential pest insects to come and eat. It's also important
to remember that those chemical fertilizers normally do not last very long
and are antagonistic to the well being of beneficial soil organisms, especially
earthworms. Abundant microbial activity, along with healthy macro-organisms
(earthworms, etc.), are one of the ways that your garden soil is improved
and how your fruit trees will fight off disease via a healthy immune system.
Natural organic plant foods enhance
and feed the biology of soils and promote diversity and a natural system
of competition among organisms. This results in a soil that is ideal to
support plant growth and assist in the suppression of harmful disease and
viruses. When natural fertilizers are combined with an ample supply of organic
matter (mulch/compost), it doesn't take long for your soil to improve to
a point where many pest problems are suppressed.
Another benefit is the improvement
of overall soil structure. Increasing the use of organic fertilizers and
composts increases the porosity of the soil, allowing for better water penetration
and retention (field capacity). In plain English, this means that you water
less because the soil absorbs more water before runoff occurs. This also
means that you save money on your water bill while improving the overall
fertility of your garden soil and fighting disease and pest problems. It
certainly seems to make sense to use natural products in the garden. Maybe
that's why so many of you are switching congratulations.
I really like a few prepared organic
plant foods that are formulated especially for your citrus and avocados.
Two particular products are manufactured by Whitney Farms and the Gro-More
Corporation. Both of these products are available at Grangetto's Farm and
Garden Supply stores. I also have a personal favorite that I mix myself
for subtropical fruits at this time of year. The mixture is as follows: | 
mill.net. The Garden Goddess is a trademark of The Organic Gardener's Resource and Centre of Encinitas.