Help me diagnose my citrus issues

8 years ago

I have three citrus trees; 2 calamondin and an unidentified lime/lemon. I’ve neglected them in the past but this year one of the calamondins which I’ve been fertilizing more than normal gave me a good harvest which reminded me of what I may be missing.

The other two trees have never thrived but this may be due in part to shading/lack of fertilization. I’ve been trimming trees to let in more light and have stocked up on fertilizer to help rejuvenate them, but would like to know what exactly I’m dealing with before I throw down a general purpose citrus fert.

What I’m mostly worried about is citrus greening disease, which is ever present here in Florida. I’ll admit, I’m not very good at discerning the difference between citrus greening and nutrient deficiencies, hence why I’m posting. There are some sickly looking trees around the neighborhood that have me concerned.

lime/lemon

Calamondin 1 (relatively healthy? Needs fert after fruiting)

Calamondin 2

Featured Answer

johnmerr

8 years ago

Sure looks like citrus greening to me. Please call your county ag office and ask them to come and look at it... be advised that, if they find HLB, they will cut your tree and burn it; or you can just do it yourself and replace the tree; but if you neighbors have it, your new trees will also get it.

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Comments (6)

Jon
Original Author
8 years ago
I wouldn’t mind having to trash them, but the presence of (several) sickly trees nearby has me feeling a bit hopeless. There’s a citrus growing in every stretch of neighborhood but many seem very unkept. Would growing citrus in my yard be a lost cause? Any way to get neighbors to cull their citrus?
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johnmerr
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Try growing Kaffir/Makrut lime... The ACP (HLB vector) hates the tree and will leave it alone. The other trees less desirable for the ACP are grapefruits and pomelos ; if you add an ISD (imidacloprid soil drench) 2-3 times per year, you should stand a pretty good chance of healthy trees . The trees they are most attracted to are lemons and mandarins. As for the neighbors, when the county ag folks come to your house, you could always mention the neighbors.
Jon thanked johnmerr
Jon
Original Author
8 years ago
Is an inspection free?
PRO
Tropical Paradise
8 years ago
Yes it is free. I agree with John, that looks very much like greening, since the mottling on the leaves is quite asymmetrical.
Dee
8 years ago
I took my tree's leaves to my local ag extension and they looked at the leaves for free. If your leaves need to go to a lab, then there is a fee. I live in GA, so things may be different in FL. Take the leaves in to the ag extension office and see what they say. The ag extension office may send out a field rep if they are not sure.