# citrus trees look bad



## johnlll (Aug 9, 2011)

hi everyone, here are few pictures of my dwarf Valencia orange and dwarf lemon. Apparently something is going on with this trees because they do not look good. few month ago trees were infected with leaf miners but "bug buster" took good care of that. However, now as you can see trees are infected with something else I just do not know what it could be. Recently I applied "blood meal" and "plant food" but it did not help.
I would appreciate any help. thanks

Pictures:

Flickr: ljohnl's Photostream


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## ch woodchuck (Aug 12, 2011)

Could be citrus thrips. When they feed, these tiny insects cause leaves to distort and curl. To confirm this diagnosis, shake a branch with distorted leaves over a white sheet of paper and look closely for tiny skinny yellow-brown insects. You can kill them with Safer Insecticidal Soap, All-Season Horticultural Oil, or Ortho's Orthenex.Eliminate what it isn't,whatever is left is what it is......Hopefully!


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## jeffheron (Aug 13, 2011)

That's a virus that eating up the citrus tree. I forgot the name of the spray that was sprayed on farm here when it was attacked by leaf bind virus thats what they were calling it.


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## MCW (Sep 12, 2011)

We don't have Citrus Thrip here in Australia but I am well aware of how nasty they are having worked alongside a Californian entomologist for a number of years (We have Kelly's Citrus Thrip here but only the juveniles do damage and mainly to fruitlets at calyx closure).
If it is viral and there is a spray to control viruses I would like to know about it being an Agronomist specialising in tree and vine crops. No sprays will control viruses.
Insects however "could" have been the vector if it is viral. If it is viral we do not have it in Australian orchards.
I gather the distorted leaves were causes by the Citrus Leaf Miner damage?
To me it looks as if you may have some type of element deficiency as well such as Zinc and/or Manganese but this is difficult to determine with your photos. In our soil pH's here (about 8.0-8.6) I'd definately say it's a micronutrient deficiency causing most of your issues with some insect damage being the cause of the spots but I'm sure there are different pests and diseases where you are that I'm not familiar with 
I have seen similar spots to these in orchards here (or groves as you guys call them) and they never amount to anything yet tend to be found only on newer growth on younger trees. You rarely see it on more mature trees and never on older, hardened leaves.


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## David (saltas) (Sep 12, 2011)

Th others have given you good answers, I think you might have a couple of things going on so I'm gonna ask you a different question.
John did you spray any round up/glysophate in the garden (I thought I saw a brown weed) next to those trees?


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