Half eaten Navel Orange tree leaves.

15 years ago

I have a young 3' Navel Orange tree with many new leaves but lately I've noticed some of the leaves look like they are half eaten. What insect/bug would cause that and how can I get rid of it? The tree has been planted in the ground for 10 weeks. All the original leaves have fallen or been blown off and have been replaced with many new leaves. It has blossomed twice. Any advice would be appreciated.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

angele
15 years ago
I have a young naval orange tree with some of the older leaves half eaten. I have noticed ants on the tree and on the pot. What should I use to control the ants and is this the reason the leaves are eaten on? It is time to transplant the tree. Should I place it in the ground (We have slopping land with a pond on it in mid Mississippi) or should I transplant it into another pot? My Mom & Dad gave me the tree a couple of years ago.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
norwood, inspect your tree for the large caterpillars of the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly, which might be the culprit in your situation.
Related Discussions
Navel Orange leaves Yellowy and the baby fruit falling off
Q
Comments (1)
Mine does the same thing. Navels are more susceptible to fruit drop at a young age. Most of the time it is from over/under watering. Also, it might just be that your tree is too young and not ready to hold the fruit. Last year I got 2 oranges on my navel. I over watered ALOT. Also, it was surrounded by grass. I fixed all the problems and this year there is only one orange on the tree. I think when the tree is ready it will hold more fruit. The tree is only 2-3 years old and very small. Navels are known to do this at young age. Without pics we cannot tell if it from a disease but from what you describe, I doubt it. Just be patient:-) I know waiting for yummy oranges sucks but eventually it will pay off!
...See More
Pictures of my Navel Orange tree done right!
Q
Comments (2)
Mike, congratulations. Your orange tree is beautiful... very robust and healthy looking and the ripening fruit is awesome too. Is your orange tree housed at a car dealership? Your tree obviously likes the large, floor-to-ceiling windows and lighting. You certainly are doing everything right. I can only imagine what your other citrus must look like too... I live in the Chicago area and don't live too far from Toni, although I have never met her in person. I am in a small townhouse and don't have much room for citrus (or any other indoor plants) but do have a small Meiwa kumquat and Bearss Lime. They are both in my bedroom on the second floor in front of a window that faces ESE and are also under a grow lamp. They are just one-year old citrus; so not very big. But they seem to be doing well in terms of retaining leaves. The kumquat has 8 ripening fruit which are just about orange and look nice, though I have to keep my dog from picking the fruit off. I am following Toni's advice about misting and mist the the two citrus twice a day. They are doing better than any other citrus I have had in the past. Anyway how long have you had your orange tree? And where did you order your tree from? I ordered my kumquat from Four Winds Nursery and my Bears Lime is a Monrovia plant that I found at a local nursery. Would really like to order a Meyer Lemon tree from Brite Leaf Citrus Nursery in Florida if the USDA ban on shipping citrus outside of Florida is ever lifted. Sorry to ramble on. Again the pictures are awesome and give all of us trying to grow citrus indoors something to strive for... Jerry
...See More
Navel orange is full of buds with leaves and flowers. Is it too small
Q
Comments (9)
Getting the plants to maximize their potential would include growing them in a choice spot in the ground in 100% Sunlight, having consistently moist soil mix, and fertilizing systematically with "good" fuel. And....letting them spend all their time growing up instead of using much of their growing-up potential to grow fruit......rather than to develop size. Do you want a BIG tree SOONER that can make lots of full size fruit? It's similar to helping a precious daughter to reach their potential through wise planning. Do you want to provide the optimal meals, rest, exercise, training, etc., etc. needed for the daughter to reach their maximum potential SOONER....or because you want to benefit from the youngster's productivity NOW as a youngster skip some of the necessary upbringing necessities and instead send them out to earn money working wherever they can to earn small $ for you to enjoy ? For me, I prefer postponing fruiting on young trees for several years to give them a chance to get bigger sooner. I can always buy some fruit to enjoy while waiting. In my case, I removed all the tiny navel oranges from 2 trees here for several years because I wanted them to get bigger/thicker/more cold hardy SOONER. I did not want them to grow slow by letting them use up too much energy trying to make any fruit at all for me to indulge in. Some pleasures are best postponed to a better time in the future. These 2 trees both had their first 2 crops of wonderful oranges this Winter, and the deferred enjoyment was VERY much worth it. They are big enough to make fruit every year from now on. N-33 navel oranges. Perfect fruit. Great place there. And great youngster.
...See More
can anyone diagnose this sick navel orange tree?
Q
Comments (9)
Sun burn could cause this as well. Given the canopy cut, that is definitely a possibility. If that is the primary cause, paint with a diluted latex paint. When did the bark damage show up? The upper picture is more recent as the trunk picture had calloused over along the at least part of the damage. Since it is at ground level, one of the problems is that the core wood will attract pests - that eat the wood, or eat the rotting wood. If the base trunk has been that way for quite some time, you may have some pests within the wood, contributing to issues.
...See More
norwood1081
Original Author
15 years ago
rhizo 1: There aren't any caterpillars or ants or anything on the underside of the leaves. My wife has been spraying deluted Dawn Dishwashing liquid on the leaves without any result. If I could post a picture with this post I could show you exactly what I'm talking about, but is that possible?
citrusenthusiast
15 years ago
here are a few insects that could be eating your leaves
earwigs
ants
worms
grasshoppers
katydid
norwood1081
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the suggestions. I will keep researching. I think I will try the soapy water spray at night since no visible pests are present during the day. (Too hot.) If you go to the link below you can see a picture of the half eaten leaves.

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/showthread.php?p=144853#post144853
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
norwood, just so you know.....soap sprays only work if you actually get the spray on the critter. Once it dries, or the insect isn't drenched in it, it's useless. Be very careful about using dish detergents for pest problems as they can be very caustic on tender foliage. Dawn has a terrible reputation for causing severe damage, more so than most. Believe it or not, commercial insecticidal soaps are less damaging to leaves, while being more effective for pest control.

ANYhow! The leaf chewing on your plant looks like the damage caused by leaf cutter bees. Do all the leaves look sort of like half circles neatly cut away?
norwood1081
Original Author
15 years ago
rhizo 1: thanks for the heads up on the soap spray. I recently read about commercial insecticidal soaps, but the next time we go into town my wife is going to get some garlic in the produce department and make up some liquid garlic with water. 1 part garlic to 10 parts water. I believe I'll be able to use that on a variaty of plants and small trees.

Your absolutely right about the Leafcutter bees. I came across a site yesterday and made a positive ID. They're a temporary threat and use the cuttings as nesting material. Thanks again!

Half eaten Navel Orange tree leaves.

Comments (7)

angele

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Related Discussions

norwood1081
Original Author

citrusenthusiast

norwood1081
Original Author

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

norwood1081
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Half eaten Navel Orange tree leaves.

Comments (7)

angele

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Related Discussions

norwood1081Original Author

citrusenthusiast

norwood1081Original Author

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

norwood1081Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

norwood1081
Original Author

norwood1081
Original Author

norwood1081
Original Author