I have this planted in a pot and it gets probably 4-6hrs sun a day....I know it needs more but right now it's stuck there till I can move it.
I have two problems....firstly spotted leaves...maybe an iron deficiency? I applied citrus/palm fertilizer last week but still no change....should I try ironite? It's in a pot so I don't want to burn it.
here's the leaves, it's mainly the top leaves
Now there's also some bug damage but I can't find what's doing it....it's curling up some leaves....this plant has also attacked my day blooming jasmine nearby.
Here's the leaves
this is one of the young leaves, but when I unfolded it it had no bugs inside just the tell tale signs of a trail
This is on the underside of about 2 of the leaves on the bottom of the plant.....it doesn't wipe off, so I don't think it is spider mites
The only bug I could find hiding was this...could it be doing the damage?
The second picture is the tunnel of the citrus leaf miner. When it exits at the edge of the leaf you get the leaf curl.
Oldude
You didn't mention what kind of citrus it was, how long you have had it, how large it is, how often you fertilize, etc. They could be factors in IDing the problem(s). The squiggle is caused by a leafminer of some sort. See the second and third links. Some leafminers carry serious diseases in Florida. The spotting on the leaves could be a mineral deficiency (not iron), but it could also indicate serious problems there in Florida.
Citrus grow in spurts. If the spotted leaf problem is due to a deficiency, the new grow should be fine. If the citrus has been in the same pot for a number of years, it is possible that the problem could be pH or soil related due to the break down of the mix. To be on the safe side, if I were you, I would place a sample branch in a baggie and take it to my local Cooperative Extension office for an ID. The local agent has access to citrus experts who will know what the problem is. Be sure to write down as much information about your tree as possible.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/CH142
http://www.flcitrusmutual.com/content/docs/Issues/2003PDHandbook.pdf
http://www.citrusent.uckac.edu/8218CitrusCankerandHuanglongbing.pdf
thanks Oldude and bettydee....I'm now on the hunt for leafminers....seems from a few posts it's just more cosmetic damage here in Florida but I'll keep looking around.
bettydee....wow I looked at those sites and boy it sounds scary to grow citrus here...no wonder they have such strict laws about bringing in from other states.
I purchased my Meyer Lemon tree about 1 1/2 ago from Lowes here in Florida. It has doubled in size in the pot it's in. I haven't fertilized it much...maybe the end of last summer was the last time I put citrus fertilizer on it. I have sprayed it with Neem Oil so maybe that did the spotting. The size of the lemon tree is probably about 2ft.
I will strip the bad leaves and take some in a baggy to either the extension service as you suggested or Lowes where I purchased it.
thank you again.
Take the samples to the Extension Service.
astcgirl
What type of fertilizer are you using and does it contain micronutrients? No fertilizer since the end of last summer does seem like an awfully long time. You may want to try something like Vigoro citrus avocado fertilizer. It has the correct ratios for container citrus and contains micro nutrients.
Oldude
