New Zealand Tea Tree? Is that the same thing as Melaleuca? If it is, it's considered an invasive tree in Florida, at least in south Florida. I may be wrong and this could be a totally different tree. Was there a botanical name attached? Kate

Well, I received Margaret's wonderful box today. Thank you Margaret for the wonderful fall items. Margaret sent: A fall motif placemat a light-up pumpkin a scarecrow door hanger another scarecrow figue a pumpkin tealight. 12 apeldorn elite tulip bulbs a cinnamon fern a hot buttered rum candle halloween napkins halloween wind sock hibiscus pattern serving plate and tray Some chocolates that seem to have disappeared but I know they were here :) seeds: aquilegia vulgaris winter squash gourmet pepper Thanks so much, Margaret, I hope things have settled down for you and that life is treating you well. I'm glad you have joined our group! Hope everyone is having a comforting, enjoyable autumn. Things have turned cool here for now. We are having temps in the 30's tonight as well. Stay warm. Theresa

Yes Andrea, I would like the name of the supplier so I can ring Bunnings in Penriff to make sure they have it in stock before I make the trip down the hill. I've tried many different mulches over the years on my exotic garden and find they all seem to fade to a certain extent, but by the time this happens, they usually need topping up again. I think the reason the tea tree mulch I put down last year is still there is because I put a layer of newspaper underneath it, (easy to do with a hedge as it's in a straight line), so the mulch has been quite a while coming into contact with the soil.

How big are your trees and how many? Some sulfate takes a while to really change the ph, if I recall, its in weeks when I use with my big blueberries (but there are many sulfate compound variants, which I can't recall what mine was). 5 gal isn't much for in ground trees. The size of the tree is the determining factor for how much I put down. So the bigger the root area (equiv to the tree branch coverage), the more I put down. I don't have any in ground citrus, but my other fruit trees, I do the same. Splashing around the trees, probably didn't meet the required amounts. Also since you said the trees were under-fertilized, you can spray the leaves with half the concentration, it will have much quicker uptake. I like foliar application as a general rule - it goes in quick, any that washes off the leaves, goes to the roots.