There’s a big change happening in the food forest… and honestly, this wasn’t an easy decision. This is something I’ve been avoiding for months, but it had to happen. One of my most mature and productive Citrus trees had to be removed. For months, I had been avoiding it, but I want my food forest to be productive and easy to maintain, and this was turning into a maintenance nightmare.. read below to find out what pest has forced me to remove a mature lemon tree and find out the exciting new addition I’ve planted in its place…
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The Problem: Citrus Gall Wasp
If you are growing citrus in Perth, you may already know the challenges citrus gall wasps can bring. They lay their eggs inside the soft new branches, which swell into lumpy galls and deformed growth that weakens the tree over time. They emerge from the stems as wasps and instantly set about infecting new growth. It’s a constant battle!
Despite careful pruning, timing, and trying to manage the problem organically, the gall wasp pressure on my Lemon tree became too much. Removing a Citrus tree is never ideal, but I was constantly cutting the tree back before the lemons were ripe, and so it was more work than reward. Because I live in an urban environment and many houses have lemon trees nearby, I also relied on others to keep theirs in check. Which, unfortunately, is not a reliable method.
Eventually, I realized that despite loving the productive crops I once had, the best thing to do for my high-density garden was to remove it entirely. If I didn’t have so many trees to care for, I might have chosen to keep it and manage the Citrus Gall wasps by the following methods:
How to Manage Citrus Gall Wasps Organically
- Pruning back Galls before they hatch in Winter (prune Feb to June in Perth)
- Spray the young branches with Kaolin clay to act as a barrier during spring
- Avoid fertilising in winter to reduce new growth around the time the wasps are active.
- Regularly check trees as new lumps can form and be hard to see in one go
IMPORTANT: How to Dispose of Citrus Gall Wasps Correctly
Even if you cut the galls off, they can still hatch and not only reinfect your trees, but if you put them in green waste, you could infect new areas by transporting them. Here are some ways to dispose of the galls you remove to help stop the spread of Citrus Gall Wasp.
- Place galls in a plastic bag and solarize them in the sun for at least 4 weeks.
- Burn in the fire (check fire bans).
- Solarize, then run through a mulcher, or mulcher then ferment for fertilizer in an air-tight container
Due to the amount of galls I had on my lemon tree, I went with the third option. I mulched the stems to break open the galls and then put them in a large bucket filled with water and a lid to rot down and make some fertilizer to feed my garden.
What I planted instead
In an urban garden, space is valuable, and with space finally opened up, I had the chance to plant something new and very exciting! I chose a tree that I’ve been wanting to grow for a long time, and I have had it waiting in a pot for the perfect spot. This was the giant avocado. Unlike regular avocados, the fruit on this tree grows to be up to x5 bigger! It is a fun and novel thing to grow because it’s unusual and not often found in the shops – I paid $10 for 1 Avocado the size of my staffys face and I’ve only seen them once before! I managed to find a grafted tree, and I have had it growing in a pot for a few years. I love growing weird and unusual fruits, so I’m very excited to see the potential crops this tree brings. Plus, I LOVE Avocados and have quite a few rare varieties in my collection.
Continuing to Expand my Front Yard Food Forest
While I wasn’t happy about losing my most productive fruit tree, I have been continuing to grow and plant more fruit trees in my front yard food forest. What was once a patch of plain grass is now densely planted with many weird and unusual fruit trees, herbs, perennials, and mulch plants. Plus, my beloved mini pond that currently has frogs!
I focus on variety over quantity in my food forest garden—I’d rather harvest small amounts from 10 different fruit types than be overwhelmed with one massive harvest. This diversity keeps the garden productive year-round, helps with pest resilience, and makes gardening much more exciting!
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Tips for Home Gardeners
- Know when to let go: Sometimes removing a tree is the best long-term decision, even if it feels hard in the moment.
- Plant with diversity in mind: A mix of fruit types spreads out harvests and gives you fruit throughout the year
- Manage pests regularly: Check your trees for gall wasp lumps regularly, especially at the end of summer and autumn. Prune before spring and dispose of affected material properly.
- Look at change as an opportunity: Removing one tree makes room for something new, and sometimes, even better.
Like every garden, this space is constantly evolving. Sometimes we have to make the tough calls, but that’s part of growing a resilient, productive food forest — especially in an urban setting. Let me know in the comments what you would have planted instead — and I’ll keep you updated on how the avocado (and all the new fruit trees) settle in!
