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Organic remedy for Citrus Leaf Miners?
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Posted by ashleysf 9 San Jose, CA (My Page) on Thu, Nov 19, 09 at 17:33
| I have them on all of my citrus trees - confirmed it with a google image search. There are zig zaggy "mines" on the back of the deformed leaves. I have a dozen citrus trees and all have been attacked. What can I spray on them to stop them? I have been reading about Neem oil? Anybody who used it can share their experiences with me? I want to fix this organically without using chemicals. I love my citrus trees and it is hard to see them deformed and looking weird. Please help me. TIA. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Organic remedy for Citrus Leaf Miners?
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- Posted by dicot Los Angeles (My Page) on
Thu, Nov 19, 09 at 21:02
| I've seen various suggestions for neem oil, horticultural oil and spiniosad for citrus leaf miners over the years. But I've seen just as much advice for the method I use - do nothing. On a young tree his might be bad advice, but established trees seem to do fine, but just have deformed leaves. There was a good discussion on it in this older thread. |
Here is a link that might be useful: CLM treatments
RE: Organic remedy for Citrus Leaf Miners?
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| Thanks, Dicot. Only 4 of my trees are established tees. The rest are young and they have flushes of new growth as well, so I am worried. I am concerned that using neem and other oils might cause leaf drop. It is like worrying about your sick children, sometimes. |
RE: Organic remedy for Citrus Leaf Miners?
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| Once the larva are in the leaves there are not many products, none organic that I am aware of, that will control them, Neem products will not get into the leaves where these larva are. Control needs to be targeted toward the adult moth or the eggs that that math lays on the leaves. Neem products may be effective here. |
RE: Organic remedy for Citrus Leaf Miners?
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| kimmsr and dicot, is Spinosad organically acceptable? |
RE: Organic remedy for Citrus Leaf Miners?
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| I support the do nothing approach. Any treatments are short-term and generally only effective after damage is detected. Most pests are attracted to flushes of growth. On fruiting trees this is most prominent on water sprouts (non-fruiting). Remove the water sprouts and any vigorous growth located blow the graft union (undesirable fruit any way). Limit pruning to once per year and leave damaged leaves in place since still feeding the tree. Avoid excess nitrogen fertilization which contributes to the flush. Select companion plants that host beneficial insects. Review the soil analysis to ensure balance and that there is suitable availability of micro and trace nutrients. Good luck. |
RE: Organic remedy for Citrus Leaf Miners?
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- Posted by dicot Los Angeles (My Page) on
Fri, Nov 20, 09 at 15:58
| Ashley, to my understanding, spinosad is like Bt in that it is considered organic. It is essentially biological warfare against CLM or thrips using a bacteria to kill them. |
RE: Organic remedy for Citrus Leaf Miners?
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| Spinosad is toxic to predatory wasps (and aquatics), these being the natural predator to the moth larvae. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia - Spinosad
RE: Organic remedy for Citrus Leaf Miners?
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The people on the Organic Materials Review Institue (OMRI)board that did review this product accepted it as a potential organic pesticide with severe resevations and severe restrictions in use. There are still concerns about Spinosads toxity of bees and many other beneficial insects as well as aquatics.
Spinosad is not something I would use. |
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