Orange tree issues. Need advise

[Fabguy1958]

We planted 3 different orange trees 2 yrs ago. Our problem is all these tiny looking buds (see photo). I'm getting them all over our trees and am not sure what it is or what's causing it. Need advice to fix if you can help.
(I've searched the forums but can't find anything related)
This is our blood orange, our Valencia, and Navel are doing the same things.
we have a Meyer lemon that is doing fantastic and giving us lots of fruits..

 

[Marck]

I'm not entirely sure, but several possibilities come to mind.

One possibility is that these are the beginning of gall tumors caused by the fungus, Sphaeropsis tumefaciens. They usually look more like hard woody knobs but these might be young, fresh galls.

Also, have any applications of the herbicide Glyphosate (Round-up) occurred near these trees? Herbicide damage can sometimes look like this. Herbicide drift can occur from a neighboring property or roadside application.

The damage from Citrus Bud Mites (Eriphyes sheldoni) does not usually look like this, but sometimes mite damage occurs in unusual parts of a plant where it might appear differently.

This is an image of Glyphosate damage on Citrus. Its not the best photo, but it does appear similar.

 

[Chuck]

Perhaps this link will help.

Citrus Tree Gall

A collaborative blog by UC farm advisors and specialists in subtropical horticulture in California.

ucanr.edu

 

[Marck]

Perhaps this link will help.

Citrus Tree Gall

A collaborative blog by UC farm advisors and specialists in subtropical horticulture in California.

ucanr.edu

The use of the image in the article linked above is unclear.

The following link identifies the image as glyphosate damage, but the injuries can look similar as has been stated.

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/P/A-CI-PTOX-FO.007.html

 

[Chuck]

The use of the image in the article linked above is unclear.

The following link identifies the image as glyphosate damage, but the injuries can look similar as has been stated.

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/P/A-CI-PTOX-FO.007.html

Reading closely you will see that the author says that glysophates COULD BE the cause of the growths only 20% of the time according to what he has seen in orchards, according to the link I posted. Your link and my link show the exact same image. Both links come from the same place. So how can it definitely be glyphosate damage when 80% of the time it cannot be?

 

[Marck]

Chuck, the photo is clearly labeled in the link I posted. It is not labeled at all in the article, so there is not even any contradiction.

Furthermore, don't hang your hat on any 80%/20% quote. That article is not even a a study, just someone's quick note about the problem. Actually the quote you must be referring to is a claim that only one in five orchards with the damage used glyphosate. To even rephrase that as a precise statistic is misleading.

The idea of the article is that both situations occur and symptoms look similar.
That is why I mentioned several possibilities to explore in my initial reply.

So far, the most similar photo I found suggests glyphosate damage, but that does not close the case.

 

[cpp gardener]

My first thought was glyphosate damage. It looks almost the same in roses. A study must be done!

 

[Fabguy1958]

Well you are all correct. Spoke to my little brother who was living here while I was working out of town for 2 yrs. He told me he sprayed a weed killer on the soil in the middle of the yard and stayed away from any vegetation we had planted. We suspect a breeze may have carried some over to the orange tree . Found and bought a replacement today. Will plant later this week or coming weekend.

Thank you all for the valuable replies

 

[Marck]

Thank you for your reply. I'm sorry for your damaged tree. best of luck with the new one.

It is uncertain how long it may take for a tree to recover from glyphosate damage, and of course, some never do.
It would be interesting to observe the damaged tree's growth response in subsequent years, but of course you may have other uses for the space it occupies.

I've known people who have used glyphosate regularly, including wildland managers who felt it was necessary to eradicate invasive plants. However, I always found the concept off-putting and never used it in my own garden or work. I acknowledge that in some situations, 'strong medicine' is called for, but I've heard too many herbicide horror stories, and just feel that most of the time the risk of damage outweighs the benefit.