Hi- I'm new to this forum and know absolutely NOTHING about plant growing... sad but true. I live in redondo beach ca, and have a eureka lemon tree which we purchased from armstrong gardens about a month ago. We planted it directly in the ground a couple of days after it arrived with a bag of the 'armstong recommended eb stone organics planting compost'. It did fine for a week or two, then I noticed that the dark green leaves near the bottom and insides of the tree were losing their color. and- something is munching on it- at a RAPID pace. I have some pictures here- if anyone would care to look- any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks- lulu
At least one of your problems is citrus leaf miners--causing the trails and distorted leaves. There are two things that I have found that work on fruiting trees--oil spray and spinosad pesticide. Oil spray (horticultural oil, volck oil, neem oil) will all keep the adult moth from laying eggs on the new leaves. You will need to apply the oil fairly often during each flush of new leaves, but do not apply when temp are above 85 F (apply late in the evening or early morning). Spinosad is sold under a variety of names, but look for the active ingredient. The formulation I have says it should only be sprayed 6 times each year, so plan your sprays around the flushes of new leaves. As for the color of your tree, it may need a little fertilizer once a month during the growing season-- about a cup for a 3-4 ft tree spread around the drip line (the outer edge of the tree). Use a fertilizer with trace minerals, otherwise you will have to add them separately.
