We live in lake elsinore , CA and bought a naval orange tree 11/2 yrs. ago as a 5 gallon tree and I don't think it's grown an inch since we planted it. This year it is growing it's first 2 oranges but I think something ate one of them (they're not ripe yet). This poor little tree doesn't have may leaves on it. It just doesn't look healthy. I think something is eating all it's leaves off. I use tree spikes as it's fertilizer and spray it with Ortho Max but I just don't see results. How can you protect against grasshoppers (I have a hunch that's what it is)? Any help would be great. Thanks.
Some pictures would help us help you if you can post them, but without more info, we can only guess at the problems. Did you plant the tree in the ground or is it still in a container? Tree spikes are not the best fertilizer for citrus. Normally, inground citrus are fertilized with a balanced fertilizer like 8-8-8 with trace elements. If your fertilizer does not contain trace elements you need to add them separately. Young trees are fertilized once a month from March to Sept in this area. They are not fertilized after the first of Sept so that the new growth can cold harden. As the tree gets older you can decrease the frequency of fertilizing. As for what is eating your tree, a common leaf eating pest is the Giant Swallowtail butterfly larvae (often called orange dog). They look like bird poop, but are voracious consumers of citrus leaves. I am able to keep them under control on my trees simply by picking the eggs off of any new growth, but I am out in my yard every day. There is a non-toxic (to humans) bacteria that can be used to control them (Bacillus thurengensis) sold under various trade names (like Dipel and Thuricide). Skeet
I take it that the tree is planted in the ground, as you live in Lake Ellsinore, CA. (far east side of the LA basin). Due to the minimal information given, my outside guess is either, 1.) the 5-gallon tree had been growing in its 5-gallon container at the nursery for more in one year when you purchased the tree, and you did no alterations with the root system before the tree was planted into the ground. A nursery that grows containerized citrus trees needs to either sell the tree in one year, or transplanted into a larger container before it completes its first year, or throw the tree away. 2.) The tree was not planted properly or in a poor location. None of the above may be applicable, but without a lot more information, it is impossible to give an educated answer. - Millet