Citrus Leaves Curling Scottsdale AZ
In order to understand what is happening to most citrus trees in Maricopa county you must first understand the relationship between stored reserve energy and insect damage to the leaves.
Please watch Tree Disease 01 a video I created a few years ago It introduces the role of stored energy in trees. Then watch this video on the Asian Citrus Leaf Miner.
The Asian Citrus Leaf Miner:
Arriving here in 2011 and breeding up to 15 times a year, the Asian Citrus Leaf Miner was in every citrus tree I looked at for several years. The population grew unchecked well into the summer of 2015, and it is only now, in 2016, that I have to look a little to find them.
So for at least 4 years, the leaves on your citrus trees have been producing far less energy than normal. Because of this the reserve cells are dangerously low. Biologically speaking, your citrus trees have run out of gas.
When reserves are low a citrus tree is more vulnerable to insect damage, soil fungus, frost damage, heat stress, sunburn, and water stress. Plus they can't defend themselves against other insects very well. This has caused the other insect population to grow, which has accelerated the depletion of stored energy.
What to do:
Correct any issues with watering, fertilization, insects, and trimming.
Watering:
For Watering information download the pdf file Irrigating Citrus Trees.
Fertilization:
I recommend using Kellogg organic fertilizer for your citrus trees. Kellogg fertilizer contains Mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi will bind to roots and, create a barrier between harmful soil fungus and tree roots. You can get it at Home Depot.
insects:
Immediately spray your trees 3 times 7 days apart with organocide 3 in 1 garden spray from home depot.
Familiarize yourself with the insects that damage citrus trees by watching the Citrus Tree Pests Videos on this site, and when you see any insects come back spray your trees 3 times 7 days apart again.
Then to prepare the tree for the new leaf growth, spray your trees 3 times 7 days apart again in February each year.
Organocide 3 in 1 is absolutely safe, it works by smothering insects with sesame seed oil, and while it doesn't kill the adult moth , or any other hard bodied insect, if applied 3 times 7 days apart it will kill the eggs worms and caterpillar, and stop the adult moth from laying her eggs. The moth only lives 4 weeks. This is the safest means I have found of controlling insects on citrus trees.
The best sprayer I have found is a Chapin G362 Professional All Purpose Hose End Sprayer with Metering Dial, you can get from Amazon. When finished spraying run clean water through it, and then wash it like you would a dish, or you'll be buying them weekly!!
Trimming:
Lemons should be trimmed yearly to avoid major branches breaking.
Except for lemon trees, citrus need little trimming. Light thinning every two or three years is fine, and it's all right to lightly shape them.
Make sure to remove any suckers that grow below the graft.
Resist topping citrus trees, and they should only be lifted a foot or two from the ground.
If you need to remove deadwood the goal should be to end up with a pile of deadwood and no green.
If bark that developed in the shade is exposed to the sun, paint the trunk white, not brown, to prevent burning.
The Absolute best environment for a citrus tree is in a large well with a mulch topping. Miracle Grow Garden Soil is a good mulch choice.
In addition to the above:
Have us inject your trees with liquid elements that will jump start energy production, strengthen the roots, and protect them from fungus. These injections go directly into the trunk and are quickly taken to the leaves and roots.
Be patient, it takes a few years to restock the reserve cells but in almost all cases doing all of the above consistently well restore a citrus tree to health.
Warner's Tree Surgery is a family business that consists of my wife Pat, who manages the office and answers the phones, and me - Warner Working. I've been doing this for almost 50 years.