Need help with my mandarin tree

[Norm]

Hi,

I need help with my mandarin tree. I have attached pictures of the different problems I'm seeing and would appreciate if someone could help me and tell me what I need to do to take care of it. Its showing dry/dead branches, sooty deposits on leaves and fruit, and leaves don't seem to be vibrant. Some of the leaves are growing curled up and some have holes or show damage. It did have plenty of fruit this year and it tasted great.

I fertilize it twice a year with a citrus fertilizer (Jobe's Fruit and Citrus 3-5-5) and its watered with automated irrigation tubes placed near the roots 2-3 inches below the soil 2 times a week for 5 minutes. I don't do anything besides this. Please take a look at the pictures below.

Thanks in advance! Norm

 

[Chuck]

Hi,

I need help with my mandarin tree. I have attached pictures of the different problems I'm seeing and would appreciate if someone could help me and tell me what I need to do to take care of it. Its showing dry/dead branches, sooty deposits on leaves and fruit, and leaves don't seem to be vibrant. Some of the leaves are growing curled up and some have holes or show damage. It did have plenty of fruit this year and it tasted great.

I fertilize it twice a year with a citrus fertilizer (Jobe's Fruit and Citrus 3-5-5) and its watered with automated irrigation tubes placed near the roots 2-3 inches below the soil 2 times a week for 5 minutes. I don't do anything besides this. Please take a look at the pictures below.

View attachment 16122 View attachment 16123 Thanks in advance! Norm

I believe what you have are citrus thrips. They are very very small, almost impossible to see with the naked eye. The dark stuff on the leaves is called sooty mold. It is the excrement from the thrips. It could also be aphids, but if it were aphids you could easily see them. Anyway the best remedy is to spray once per week for 2 weeks with spinosad. Spray both sides of the leaves and the stems, branches and trunk.

 

[Norm]

Thanks Chuck,
Are all those dried/dead branches also due to the aphids/thrips you think or is that something else ? What about those damaged and curled leaves with holes in them - same deal ?

 

[Chuck]

As for as the dead branches go I doubt if thrips or aphids are the cause. Scale insects are more likely but also limbs just die sometimes. Wait until spring to prune the dead limbs. Curled leaves and holes are the classic signs of aphids and/or thrips.

 

[Norm]

Thanks for your help

 

[Norm]

Hey Chuck,
I looked some more and found white fungus like things on it. Here is the picture. Will spinosad take care of it ? Where can I buy it for cheap ?
Thanks,
Norm

 

[Chuck]

Hey Chuck,
I looked some more and found white fungus like things on it. Here is the picture. Will spinosad take care of it ? Where can I buy it for cheap ?
Thanks,
Norm

I can't quite tell from the picture what it is but it is either immature citrus wooly whitefly or it is scale. Spinosad doesn't do much to scale. Use Neem Oil. Spinosad will work on whitefly and there is nowhere cheap to buy it.

 

[Mechanic]

I see a little leaf miner damage and indications of red mites as well as what Chuck indicated.