Planting a dwarf Citrus 'Lemonicious' (which is a compact, ultra-productive Meyer Lemon variety) into the ground in Inglewood, WA requires building a rich, heavy-feeding soil structure out of your native Bassendean sand.
Citrus trees are notorious "hungry-thirsty" plants. While they demand excellent drainage, so their roots never drown, they also require constant moisture and massive amounts of nutrients to produce juicy, full-sized lemons.
The absolute best bag you can buy from Bunnings Warehouse to amend your native soil is the Scotts Osmocote Citrus & Fruit Premium Potting Mix.
How to Successfully Plant It in Inglewood Sand
Because 'Lemonicious' is a dwarf variety (growing to about 1.5 to 2 metres tall), it is highly manageable, but it still needs a solid foundation to fruit heavily in the ground.
1. Pick the Ultimate Sun Trap: Citrus trees require absolute full sun—aim for a spot that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight daily. Make sure it is well-protected from strong, drying winds, which can blow off flowers and tiny, developing fruit.
2. Dig a Substantial Hole: Dig a planting hole that is roughly twice as wide as the nursery pot, but the same depth.
3. The 50/50 Soil Upgrade: You cannot plant citrus into straight sand. Mix 50% of the native sand you dug out with 50% of the Scotts Osmocote Citrus & Fruit Mix. To supercharge it further, blend a couple of big shovelfuls of composted cow manure through the mix to give the sand real structural body.
4. Watch the Graft / Planting Depth (Crucial): Remove the tree from its pot and gently tease the outer roots. Place it in the hole, ensuring the original soil level matches the ground level exactly. Never bury the trunk or cover the graft union (the bump near the base of the stem), as this will kill the tree.
5. Water In and Mulch Heavily: Water the tree deeply right after planting—adding a seaweed solution like Eco-Organic Garden Eco-Seaweed from Bunnings will greatly reduce transplant shock. Apply a 5 to 7 cm layer of coarse woodchips or lupin mulch over the root zone to stop the sand from drying out. Keep the mulch a few centimetres away from the bark of the trunk to prevent collar rot.