do my citrus trees have a diseases?

Question

my citrus trees are sticky and dripping a sugary goo.

Answer 1

Uh oh, sounds like you have mealybugs! Or your trees do, actually. Are they potted, or are you in a warm region where they grow in the ground? I'm in Canada, and must grow the smaller versions in pots, and I've treated mealybugs successfully by having strict sanitation. Quarantine affected plants until well, or they'll spread to other plants. Treat diseased plants as though a hospital would treat sick patients; you can easily transfer diseases and insects on your hands if going from one plant to another. So wash hands often. Sterilize cutting tools, etc. by washing in a 10 to 20% bleach/water solution. There's more than one way to treat an infestation: a small one can be handled by taking Q-tips, dipping in regular rubbing alcohol and directly applying to the nasty white bugs that congregate on the plant, wiping, and using a new tip each wipe, or you could easily transfer a bunch of them back to another area if they are not drenched in alcohol. Also, Safer's soap is quite good as a spray in larger applications. There are more drastic chemicals, but since this is a plant that produces food, I stay away from such chemicals on food plants. You may need more than one application, since it's very easy to miss them, and the ones you don't get will reproduce. In between treatments, quarantine the plant until you are certain that it is free of infestation (maybe several weeks due to reproduction cycles of the bugs.) Quite frankly, I had a bay plant with this problem, and it simply would not go away, even with all my care, so I pitched it. So weigh your time and effort against the value you place on the tree that you must treat and quarantine: is it worth the trouble? Life's short. If it isn't worth the trouble, then dump it and move on. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Mealybugs look like a peice of cotton, white or cream color, my first thought was aphids, the secret a "honeydew" goo and ants are most times living on the same plant helping themselves to the honey and the aphid and ant live in harmony. They are pretty small greenish yellow and usually a good many of them. Put a wooly glove on and run your hand over the plant see what comes off white bugs or green bugs, you'll probably get a few eggs too. Visit your home and garden center and speak to the manager, not just a cashier, they probably want have the knowledge the manager hopefully has.It is always a good idea to inspect all plant on a timely basis, insects lay eggs faster than you can say citrus trees. Happy Growing!

Answer 3

Scale or whiteflies. Spray the trees w/ water and ultra fine oil.

Answer 4

Spray!