Story: Growing Tasty Citrus
Episode: 8
Presenter: Neville Passmore
Air Date: 10 October 2026

Neville explains why his 40-year-old date palm isn’t producing fruit and how planting female trees, improving the soil and providing the right nutrients could help produce fresh dates in the future.

• To solve that problem, three named female date palms have been imported from South Australia and will be planted around the existing male tree to provide the potential for fruit production.
• The deep sandy soil drains well but is low in organic matter and nutrients, so cocopeat is being added to improve the soil along with controlled-release fertiliser tablets to supply essential nutrients.
• The tablets are ideal for new plantings, containing major nutrients, trace elements and beneficial microbes to help give the palms a strong start.
• With the right female varieties, soil preparation and nutrition, flowers could begin forming within a couple of years, bringing the prospect of fresh dates one step closer.

For more information, head to:
www.troforte.com.au