Growing and Using Citrus

Learn about growing citrus trees, study how to use citrus fruits, at home by distance education

Course Code: SGH20
Fee Code: SG
Duration (approx) Duration (approx) 20 hours
Qualification
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Learn what citrus to grow and how to grow it.

Citrus can be grown for its:

  • Nutritional value
  • Aesthetic value
  • Medicinal value

They are evergreen trees with unique leaves, fragrant flowers, and vibrant citrus colours that offer an exotic touch to any garden, terrace, deck, or balcony. 

This course is a complete guide for growing successful citrus plants and for learning the various ways to use them.

Lesson Structure

There are 5 lessons in this course:

  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
  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
  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
  4. CITRUS CULTIVARS
    • Deciding what to grow
    • Lemon tree selection
    • Cumquats
    • Unusual citrus
    • Citrus fruit ripening chart
    • Review what you have been learning
  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

Who is this course for?

This course can be professional development for:

  • Farmers who wish to value add to their produce 
  • Home gardener
  • Produce processor
  • Commercial fruit farmers or their employees
  • Start-up entrepreneurs producing food products on a small scale
  • Hobby Farmer



Course Contributors

The following academics were involved in the development and/or updating of this course.

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