To take good care of your citrus trees, it's important to know how to identify harmful citrus tree diseases. Learn how to identify a citrus tree disease here.
If you're new to growing citrus trees or if you just need to be freshened up on citrus tree care, you've come to the right place. When cared for properly, citrus trees bring us many wonderful benefits. They provide us with delicious fruits, health benefits, and might even serve as a source of revenue for you.
But to keep your citrus trees happy and healthy, it's important to know how to identify the different types of citrus tree disease. Are you ready to grow strong and healthy citrus trees? If so, continue reading below for our guide on how to do just that!
Citrus Canker
The first type of disease on our list to be on the lookout for is a citrus canker. This is a bacterial infection that forms within the tree causing it to grow circular scabs on the twigs, the leaves, and even on the fruit. When a new circular lesion forms, it's a shade of yellow.
When the citrus canker is older, it becomes brown. If you notice one of your citrus trees has a citrus canker, you'll need to be extremely careful with it. Citrus cankers are contagious and can be transferred to another tree by rain, wind, tree equipment, your clothing, and more.
There are a few sprays that work well as a preventative for citrus cankers, but a tree that already has signs of this disease should be removed from the property.
Greasy Spots
Greasy spots on a citrus tree is a fungus that grows on the tree. This fungus affects the tree's leaves. It's more common for a citrus tree to have greasy spots when growing in tropical climates.
To identify this fungus, check under the leaves of a mature citrus tree. It'll appear as either dark brown/black or yellow lesions under the leaves. If the fungus is more developed, it'll begin to form on the top of the leaves as well.
In some cases, the fungus can even grow onto the fruit. To prevent the fungus from spreading and to eliminate it, remove all infected leaves from the tree and from the ground. There are also sprays you can purchase to spray the tree with to heal it.
Citrus Melanose
Another fungal infection to look out for is citrus melanose. This citrus tree fungus infects the younger citrus tree fruits. The fungus begins on dead or dying twigs and branches and spreads to the leaves when the climate is wet and cool.
It then begins to affect the fruit. The fruit will look blemished when affected by this fungus. To prevent melanose, be sure to prune your citrus tree when needed. You can also consider using fungicides as well.
Keep Your Trees Free of Citrus Tree Disease!
If you're wanting to grow healthy and strong citrus trees, then it's vital that you know the different types of citrus tree disease to be on the lookout for. These are just a few of the common diseases that your citrus trees might contract. Always examine your trees to make sure they're healthy!
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