A Raaymakers

Thank you everyone for weighing in.  I realized the ants were onto the scale leavings, so I treated the scale with diatamaceous earth which has seemed to actually clear the tree in the places I applied it!

Yes I know... I've actually gone ahead and planted the tree, with comfrey and dill under it.  I'm aware I'll need to keep an eye on the two herbs to make sure they don't overpower the poor lemon, but I'm definitely keen to see how this goes!

Isa Delahunt that is a good resource!

thank you again for weighing in.  Much food for thought for me.  Still not much clue on the comfrey/lemon coupling though!

How fascinating, I HAD NO IDEA those pages existed!!! Haha, so thank you!!! I will look into them right away.  I told you I was a newbie...

Yes, I'm really seeing that it is going to be trial and error... but everyone started somewhere! Interesting about the carbon to help get water into the soil.  We have lots of oak leaves on the ground at the moment, so will use those!

Thank you, Jay Angler!

Well, we live in the North Island of New Zealand, I believe the weather where I am is considered temperate.  We have been having cold but sunny winter days recently, although not TOO cold - its 16 degrees Celsius outside at the moment.  

The lemon tree is planted on a grassy bank with quite sandy soil.  We get a decent amount of rain here, I'd say.  (How do you measure rain levels?) I have mulch around the lemon tree.  I am considering extending its surrounding garden bed, so getting rid of the grass around it, and planting beneficial plants, and mulching down.

From what I've gleaned over the internet, comfrey seems very desirous around trees like peach, and pears, but I'm so curious about lemons - it seems hard to find its companionship status with citrus!!

 

Hi everyone, I'm new here so please forgive me if this question has been answered before, BUT I haven't seemed to have been able to find the answer to it -

I have just planted a young lemon tree in full sun in my front yard (which is really a front low bank).  It was in its nursery bag for too long, and seems a little yellow about the leaves, also the ants seem to love it.

I suspect it has sappy pests on it that attract the ants, and would like to put some companion plants around it.  I have heard good things about onions, rosemary, dill, and calendula.  

I also have a very small comfrey plant that I am considering planting under the lemon tree.  People seem to have success with comfrey under their fruit trees.  My question is, would it be okay under a meyer lemon tree, and how far away from the base of the tree to plant it? And any of the other companion plants for that matter?

Thanks so much for your time and advice, guys.  This is all totally new territory for me!