Sneak Peek
Self Paced 20-hour course to help you understand more about growing citrus plants and fruits
Learn to grow your own delicious citrus fruit at home with this 20-hour
short course. Everything you need to know is in this self-paced course.
This short course will help you learn about the organic management,
propagation, pruning, pest control and harvesting of citrus plants.
There are optional activities and tasks that you can complete along
the way to help expand your knowledge in this area. A fantastic option
for the commercial grower, small businessperson or enthusiastic amateur.
Our 20 hour courses are self paced and will help you understand a topic
in a short amount of time. You can work through the course when you
like- test yourself with mini-tests along the way. There are extra case
studies or research you can undertake if you would really like to get
into the topic. Once you have completed the lessons and self assessment
tasks, there is a final exam undertaken online- you can then download
your personalised certificate.
Course Content
This course has five lessons. Each lesson has a corresponding online self-assessment test.
LESSON 1 INTRODUCTION: SCOPE, NATURE, BOTANY AND TAXONOMY
- Citrus today
- Harvesting
- A brief history
- Botany of citrus
- Appearance
- Reproduction and variability
- Flowering and pollination
- Fruit development
- Number and classification of species
- Species of citrus
- Close relatives
- Microcitrus
- Eremocitrus
- Fortunell
- Poncirus
- Lesson 1 additional reading
- Review what you have been learning
LESSON 2 CITRUS CULTIVATION
- Planting citrus trees
- What affects success?
- Temperature
- Frosts and cold winds
- Choose the right type
- Shade
- Tree size
- Root damage
- Container growing
- Soil
- Colloids
- Preparing the soil for planting
- Does your soil need gypsum?
- Planting technique
- Feeding
- Fertiliser applications
- Drainage
- Irrigation
- Measuring water availability to plants
- Irrigation
- Scheduling irrigation
- Important elements
- Period of watering
- Cyclic watering
- Pulse watering
- Water extraction by roots
- Types of irrigation
- Common citrus fruit problems
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Pests of citrus
- Diseases and viruses of citrus
- Planting lemon trees
- Planting technique
- Caring for lemon trees
- Pruning citrus
- Pruning a standard shape
- Renovating an old tree
- Pruning to improve fruit quality
- Pruning to improve tree health
- Review what you have been learning
LESSON 3 CITRUS PROPAGATION
- Propagation options
- Grafting (budding)
- Budding techniques
- Dwarf trees and double grafts
- Growing from cuttings
- Growing from seed
- Review what you have been learning
LESSON 4 CITRUS CULTIVARS
- Deciding what to grow
- Lemon tree selection
- Cumquats
- Unusual citrus
- Citrus fruit ripening chart
- Lesson 4 additional reading
- Review what you have been learning
LESSON 5 USING CITRUS
- Nutritional value of citrus
- How to extract citrus oils
- Freezing citrus
- Drying citrus
- Making use of excess lemons
- Making fresh lemonade
- Recipes
- Making jams/marmalade
- Marmalade
- Beetroot and orange chutney
- Citrus syrup cake
- Classic orange fennel and onion salad
- Easy salad dressing
- Easy pasta side dish
- Fruit butter/ fruit curd
- Lemon tart
- Lemon dipping sauce - Asian style
- Lettuce cups with chicken and citrus
- Lime chutney
- Marinade for chicken
- Marinade for steak
- Orange salad
- Orange couscous
- Salsa topping for salmon or trout
- Review what you have been learning
- Final assessment
Learn What Citrus to Grow Where, and How
Most citrus are considered subtropical plants, but some can be grown in colder climates. More tender species may not perform well or at all in colder areas, unless in a greenhouse, but lemons, oranges, grapefruit and cumquats are grown successfully in places where outside temperatures can reach zero over winter, sometimes with a little protection if the cold gets extreme. It is important to recognise the cold tolerance of citrus varies, as do other cultural requirements.
While a citrus may survive a period of cold, it does need warmer temperatures yo grow and fruit. Generally growth occurs within a temperature range of 13°C to 38°C, depending upon the species and cultivar being grown. The ideal temperature for growth of oranges (for example) is between 21°C and 32°C.
This course will help you understand the variations in temperature and other cultural requirements for dozens of different types of citrus. In doing so, you will have a foundation for making better, informed choices about what to grow in any location, and how to grow it for optimal fruit production.
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?
- Commercial fruit growers or farm hands
- Passionate home gardeners
- Hobby farmers, permaculturists, anyone wanting to be more sustainable with food
- Foodies, cooks, anyone passionate about fresh produce
- Gardeners, horticulturists, farmers, nurserymen, plant retailers
-