Two years ago my grapefruit tree produced two fruit that looked very appetising but were almost solid rind. Some quality time with Bing revealed two important factoids:

• Super thick rind is a symptom of phosphate deficiency
• Excessively high nitrate levels can inhibit phosphate uptake.

Australian soils are famously phosphate poor and lawn fertiliser (as applied by me in the year of super thick rind) has a lot of nitrate in it because nitrate promotes leaf development and lawns are all leaf. There was a bit of superphosphate in a bag in the shed so I gave all the citrus trees a little, to see whether it would have any effect. And it did - more fruit, and although the rinds were fairly thick I've seen worse in commercial fruit.

So this year in early spring all the citrus got lots of phosphate, and then it rained. And rained. And alternated rain and blazing sun.

And then there's the lemon tree. At least, I think it's a lemon tree. This is the first time it has fruited, and the label fell off years ago. It could be a lime, but the leaf shape suggests a Eureka lemon.

The tree nearest the tank was always fairly healthy but has never fruited. This year...

My avocado tree has finally been granted permanent residency. Conditions for planting could not have been better; it rained for a few days before and after planting, and then rained at night with blazing sunny days. I worried because juevenile avocados can easily sunburn, but far from suffering it is growing like something out of Jack and the Beanstalk.

And then there's my lychee tree.

Its name is Groot.

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