Are there any restrictions on shipping home grown citrus fruits to other states?
Homegrown citrus currently can be shipped from Florida to other states if it has been packed by a commercial packing house. During the commercial packing process, fruit is removed of plant debris, washed, disinfected, graded and packed into shipping containers marked with a USDA-APHIS-PPQ-CHRP ...
- The leaves on my citrus tree are covered with a black substance that comes off on your fingers. What is this and is it hurting my tree?
This is a fungus called sooty mold. It does not infect the leaf tissue, but indicates the presence of piercing-sucking insects such as aphids, white-flies, or scales. As the insects feed, they excrete sticky fluid called “honeydew” which falls on the leaves below and upon which the f ...
- How should I prune my citrus tree?
During early tree development, it is important to remove suckers from the base of the tree. These are likely to be from the rootstock and will not produce desirable fruit. Also, they may eventually interfere with proper tree development. Mature citrus do not need canopy pruning for health or pro ...
- There are grayish-green patches growing on the trunk of my citrus tree.. What can be done to help?
What you are describing sounds like growths of lichen. These are rough, moss-like organisms that grow naturally on the bark and branches of trees and shrubs. Their body, which can be gray, green, reddish, or yellow, is a combination of an alga and a fungus growing together symbiotically, an asso ...
- The peel on some of my oranges has turned brown. Why is this happening?
During the summer, tiny rust mites feeding on the fruit will cause a russeting of the peel. They prefer to feed in the shade which often causes uneven discoloration of the peel. Unless the infestation is severe, the interior quality of the fruit is generally not affected. Frequent spraying with ...
- A friend of mine gave me a wonderful tasting orange. How can I sow the seeds and start a new tree?
Citrus trees are simple to grow from seeds, but you could wait a long time for the first fruits to develop. For example, if you plant the seed from an especially tasty orange and nurture that tree for better or worse, you may have to wait 8 to 15 years for that seedling tree to bear fruit. Also, ...
- What are these gray, white and brown caterpillars on my citrus tree leaves? They look like bird droppings.
These caterpillars, called orange dog caterpillars, are the larvae of the Giant Swallowtail butterfly. Don’t worry though, the caterpillar does not eat a lot, so your citrus tree will still bear fruit and have plenty of leaves left. If you try to touch or pick up the caterpillar it will st ...
- The new leaves of my young citrus tree get strange little whitish, squiggly trails through them. They then curl up and turn yellow. What is happening and how can I stop this?
The squiggly lines you are seeing are the result of leafminer damage. The citrus leafminer is a moth larva that feeds on the tissue between the upper and lower leaf surfaces and produces serpentine mines as it feeds. This results in curling leaves that often have a silvery film over them. The pr ...
- What varieties of citrus would you recommend that would give the longest span of edible fruit?
To obtain the longest period of fruit production, choose trees whose fruit matures at different times of the year. Here are some examples: Early season – ‘Navel’, ‘Hamlin’ and ‘Parson Brown’ oranges (all October to January) Midseason– ‘Pine ...
- My citrus tree is dropping fruit with large cracks in them. What is the source of the problem and what can I do to save the fruit?
Fruit splitting is a common occurrence on citrus in late summer and fall. A single rain event, especially one following a dry period, can cause the fruit to absorb more moisture than the peel can expand to accept, causing the fruit to split. Varieties with relatively thin peels, like some types ...
- I have gray spots on the trunk of my Orange Tree. What should I do?
The gray spots on the trunk of your orange tree are lichens. Lichens are not harmful and their presence would not be responsible for other problems your tree might have.
- Why isn’t my citrus fruit juicy?
Granulation usually occurs on rapidly growing fruit and excessively large fruit. While Valencia oranges are most frequently affected, other oranges, grapefruit, and tangerine cultivars are subject to this malady as well, especially when budded on rough lemon and trifoliate orange rootstocks. Goo ...
- How can I control Alternaria Brown Spot on a Tangelo tree?
For control of Alternaria brown spot on dooryard tangelo trees, copper fungicide can be applied at these times: (1) When the spring growth flush is about 1/4 to 1/2 fully expanded. (2) When the spring flush is nearly fully expanded. (3) Shortly after most of the petals have dropped from the flo ...
- When should I prune overgrown citrus trees that have large amounts of spanish moss in them?
You can prune out the dead wood at any time but any major pruning of living wood would be best delayed until early spring (February), after the danger of freezing temperatures has passed and just before the spring growth flush. There is no need to paint any pruning wounds. The Spanish moss can ...
- Is it possible for an individual to graft a citrus tree?
It is possible for a home gardener to learn how to graft citrus. The most commonly used method of grafting citrus is called the inverted T-bud. A step by step guide can be found here: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs116 Unfortunately, although the procedures involved in T-budding are relatively easy ...
- What can I do about the white mold that is covering my grapefruits and leaves?
You are probably seeing scale insects. Applications of horticultural oil should control them. If the tree is 12 feet tall or less you can probably spray it yourself.
- What are the white and orange scale-like things growing on the undersides of my citrus leaves. Is this a problem?
his is a beneficial fungus (Aschersonia or "friendly fungus") which grows on and kills whitefly insects. It looks scary, but it's a good thing.
- We have some newly planted citrus trees as well some mature, bearing trees in our yard. When and how should we fertilize them?
Newly planted citrus trees can be fertilized for the first time about 3 weeks after planting or when swelling buds indicate that new growth is beginning. For the first year fertilizer can be applied about every 6 weeks. If an 8-8-8 analysis fertilizer is being used, about ½ cup is adequa ...
- Why do my citrus blossoms drop with setting?
Young citrus trees ofen do not produce much fruit for a few years after planting, even if they flower well. Older trees may not set fruit at times for several reasons: Unfavorable conditions at the time of bloom such as very wet or very dry soil conditions may also cause flowers to drop without ...
- Are there any guidelines for pruning citrus?
Established citrus trees generally require little pruning. Pruning can be done to remove dead wood, to remove suckers (shoots arising from below the graft union) and to remove water sprouts (fast growing, very upright shoots which have large leaves and large and numerous thorns). Pruning can als ...
