Need help with sick looking fruit/citrus trees.

11 years ago

Hello. I'm seeking advice as what could be causing my fruit trees to look so poor. I'm located in Orlando FL area. I purchased the trees about 1 year ago and transplanted them. We have been getting plenty of rain here lately, so I suspect that lack of water is not the problem, but possibly overwatering? I put down some Jobe's all purpose fertilizer about a month ago, hoping that it would revive them. They also probably absorb some of the regular fertilzer (32-0-10) I put down for the yard every month or two. They all looked very good at the beginning of Spring, but have been deteriorating over the past few months and don't want to lose them. Below are some pics...

From left to right: dwarf cavendash banana, florida peach, meyer lemon

Meyer...leaves shriveling and lots of dead branches. No spots or holes/bugs that I could see.

The peach tree seems to be doing the worst. It has lots of brown wilting leaves and bare branches, and also has holes from where bugs have been eating it occasionally. However, I couldn't find any bugs to take a picture of.

The cavendash seems to be fairing fine, although I need to trim off the dead stuff.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

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Red Frog Compost Teas

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

Peach and citrus respond very well to compost teas and micro-nutrients. I would strongly suggest using a compost tea that provides both. You can easily research how to do this on your own or find a commercial tea. If you buy a tea you need to brew it I would not suggest any pre-made teas and really look at the ingredients. Believe me there are some really good teas out there but most are honestly just worm castings with one or two feed sources, which you could easily buy yourself.

This is a photo of my sick peach tree. I planted this in very late spring and had bought it bare root. While it may not look like it I have been battling a serious fungus all summer. The key to this trees success has been keeping it healthy. I did this with compost tea and worm castings.

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Comments (6)

garyfla_gw
11 years ago
Hi

Hopefully it's not "Citrus greening"?? You can google it for more info. It completely wiped out all my citrus . There are some treatments but I found them only temporary .It has become the scourge of florida citrus wiping out whole groves . Check it out you will definitely need some help !!! gary
Steph
11 years ago
Citrus greening wouldn't affect peaches would it?
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garyfla_gw
11 years ago
Hi

Probably the best website is Uof F citrus extention They give you pics and diagnosis methods . Have never tried Peach as I feel I don't have enough chill hours so can't answer your ?? gary
Timothy French
Original Author
11 years ago
I don't *think* it's citrus greening from what I've read. There doesn't appear to be any discoloration, blotchiness, or yellowing. However, I'll go out and look closer in a little bit. The leaves on the lemon just seem to be shriveling up. The peach tree is my bigger concern though, as it seems to be doing the worst.
greenman62
11 years ago
i would look very close at the leaves, lots of them, look for bugs.

leaf miners etc...

greening is spread by psilliads which are pretty small too.

i would put mulch under the trees, feed the ground with fish emulsion to get good microbes growing. maybe some mycorrhizal fungi...

kelp, worm tea, compost tea etc.. all add micronutrients

epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) , and iron both can help the plant produce chlorophyll. a soil test would be best to see what is lacking.