It's April and my 2 year old tree has lost all it's leaves, has a dozen small lemons and the tips of the branches are turning brown. It had scales last year, by the time I discovered them many of the leaves were gone. I've been using a soapy mixture and removing them. It's in a wine barrell. I'm in northern CA, zone 7. Should I prune back the dead (brown) branches? Any fertilizer or other ideas to bring it back? Thanks
:-( ugh i hate scale with a passion. It killed my meyer lemon and is struggling to attack my lime at the moment; i'm doing my best to stay on top of it. I've always been told to cut back all dying twigs until you see a hint of green under the 'bark'. Make sure you stay on top of the scale as well. Rampant little buggers. Is the soapy water actually working for you? I've used horticultural oils which seem to be moderately effective against killing the scale but also caused my plant to drop all it's fruit. >:-( grr. Someone on here mentioned denatured grain alc in a spray bottle though i don't remember who recommended that approach. Best of luck -Luke
