Looks like spider mites; you won't see them without a good magnifying glass. A good wash outside or in the shower will go a long way to getting rid of them. My advice... lose the fertilizer spikes and replace with a good soluble citrus fertilizer applied 3-4 times per year according to the label. Your tree looks to be a little underfed; and unhealthy trees are more susceptible to spider mites. I would also get a good foliar fert. and give your tree an application of that about every 15 days; I like Bayer Bayfolan Forte; lots of container growers here use Foliage Pro... there are others. Your tree looks a bit leggy; I am guessing it gets less light than it would like.

Evan, an insecticidal soap spray will probably take care of your flying insects. It can be sprayed on the foliage as well as the soil, just take care NOT to put your little tree in direct sunlight, especially is temps are over 85 degrees or you'll fry the foliage. The directions will most likely tell you so. Same with using a hort oil like Neem. Think "frying pan" :-) Both will work to kill the little buggies. And, I would plant in a pot about 3 times the size it's in right now. Use the gritty mix recipe found in our forum, or if you can't find the correct ingredients (VERY important to follow the directions exactly), you can use EB Stone's Cactus Mix. It's close, and a fairly decent alternative. Then, top with mulch (compost and some wood chips) keeping the mulch away from the trunk if you're in a high heat area (like I am) to preserve moisture. You may not need to mulch in N. Carolina, as you have much more humidity than I do in the summer. Then, fertilize your little guy at least monthly with a good citrus fertilizer with micronutrients (citrus formulations are higher in nitrogen, that's the first of the N-P-K macro nutrient ratio). You may wish to water in the fertilizer with acidified water if your water is on the alkaline side. If you don't know, pick up a pH meter at your local garden center. They're inexpensive, and very helpful. Citrus like a pH around 5.5 to 6.5, but will do fine even in 7.0 soils as I have. I just need to make sure I fertilize with micronutrients after a long cold wet winter. And, my needs are different, since I have all my citrus in the ground. Mike and others can give you much better container advice :-) Patty S.

Actually, I didn't make that implication. I mentioned that foliar applications of nutrients have a place and can be effective, usually within a very narrow set of parameters, and to varying degrees depending on plant material, what nutrient is deficient, what you're using, how it's applied, often WHEN it's applied. A grower's program might be described as 'willy nilly' when the grower uses foliar applications of nutrients w/o answers to critical questions and especially when they don't even understand the questions, the answers to which determine efficacy. That's simply flying blind, and makes willy nilly is a fair adjective. Foliar aps of nutrients can't/don't work unless there is actually a deficiency of the nutrients you are supplying. In the case where multiple nutrients are being supplied, it's possible that a deficiency mighty be corrected at the same time a toxicity is being introduced because you're supplying a nutrient that is already amply available, which means that more of same has only the potential to limit. A well-reasoned approach to nutrition would find the grower answering a number of questions related to the potential to improve things or add to the number of factors that are potentially limiting. Absent tissue and or soil analysis, if foliar applications have a notable value when used on plants that can actually absorb nutrients from foliar applications, it lies more in its ability to act as an aid in identifying a deficiency than actually relieving one, but the act of applying a number of nutrients all at the same time eliminates any potential help from that quarter because when all is done, you won't likely have fixed the issue and still won't know which nutrient applied. Linda Chalker-Scott is a horticultural scientist with a PhD. She is probably most noted for helping the growing community by debunking horticultural myths, one of which is the assertion that foliar applications are an effective/efficient way to provide plant nutrition. How well and how thoroughly we qualify our offerings with facts rather than observations/statements that are often very subjective or biased serves not only to illustrate our grasp of the topic, it also serves to keep our credibility intact. When we actually have the best interest of the grower at the forefront and are providing reliable, well-qualified information, what sells it is our credibility. I've always limited myself to operating only within the limits of my knowledge, which is why whenever anything I say is challenged, I have all the facts I need at my disposal to back my offering. I never have to rely on selling my offering by using statements like "It works for me" or it might not be the best way, but ........ Dr Scott takes on the topic of Foliar Feeding, here. If you take the time to peruse her offering, you'll find her and my qualifying information amazingly close to the same, so it's not as though I'm a lone voice in the wilderness on this topic or operating beyond the limits of my knowledge. The crux of the issue is, it's very unlikely you'll gain any real traction via foliar feeding, and more likely you'll end up worse off than when you started, even if the plant ends up looking prettier (I qualified that statement above, too). I hope Dr Scott's offering helps us get to the point where we needn't keep belaboring this and similar points. Al

Dry. Water that tree, you’re in LA if I remember correctly. We live in very arid climates and this week has been hot in the south land. Your tree is thirsty and hungry. Iron chelate should be sprayed during the winter months only. You may have shocked your tree but it will probably be ok with more water and some time to recover.