The damage is minor so nothing to worry about now. I don't know. Your tree looks good.

Thanks for the reply. About 15 leaves have significant-sized holes/are half eaten, and some leaves have a few tiny holes that may turn into more significant damage. I'd like to know what the culprit could be, and if the problem gets worse, how to treat it.

Any insecticide like malathion or seven would There are systemic citrus specific poisons that should work

slugs

I agree.... slugs or snails... that do their damnage at night and disappear during the day. I'd suggest one of sharp stones or DG on the soil to deter them.

Thanks for your input! The tree has been indoors this winter - doesn't it seem unlikely that slugs or snails are disappearing during the day indoors? Additionally, much of the damage is to leaves closer to the top of the tree.

Wrap the trunk with, sticky side out, masking tape, sprinkle soil surface with diatamatios earth.

Steve

I'd still be willing to bet you have at least one snail that came in along with the plant. They can hide in the dirt too. Who knows where this one was hiding, but it came in and took a ride in the salad spinner.

Or.... how about a grasshopper. Their damage is similar and they can hide too.

The next time you water put the pot in a bucket and fill with water up to the soil line. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes and you’ll see if anything is hiding in the soil.

tj

Until you correctly identify the culprit causing the problem, you can't possibly know how best to treat!! And be very careful about using ANY organophosphates (Malathion) indoors.

My guess is also some sort of mollusk - slug or snail. Most of the damage is not that recent as it is showing brown or necrotic tissue along the cut edges. And they disappear into the moist soil during the day so unless you take the approach TJ suggested above, chances are you will never see them.

Take care in the search for the cause of your leaf damage. If it is purely an indoor plant now, a slug/snail seems most realistic. That said, several times over the years, I've had the bad luck of finding stinging caterpillar by accidentally touching them when my plants are outdoors (most recently in summer 2020 - a saddleback cat). The damage of chewed leaves looks similar from many herbivores (unless you look very closely you can narrow down a bit from the cut edge).

Listen to gardengal

I doubt that a slug would hide in the soil. A more likely hiding place is at the bottom of the pot. And they do hide during the day and come out at night.

Thanks for all of the answers, everyone. I'll definitely be on the lookout for the sneaky snail. Wasn't aware of the offensive nature of the name of the tree, so thank you for educating me on that, iochroma.

Hi! Irecently started seeing damage on my lime tree and when I searched it, found this thread. I wonder if you ever figured out what the pest was. Mine is indoors only and I have found asian lady bugs on it. Everyone insists they only eat aphids. I periodically find a sticky substance on the leaves as well. Thanks!