hi

That would be me lol All my citrus have greening as well as my neighbors . I'm in Palm Beach county My suggestion would be to check out the U of Florida site or just google "citrus greening". They are doing a lot of research on it naturally since it's such a valuable crop.There are treatments but complicated and generally ineffective.

Have not heard of the method you mention but I grow a Cattley guava but is not located near the citrus .

If serious about growing citrus would suggest becoming familiar with the host of problems and follow their suggestions

For me I decided to grow something else though I still have 3 remaining trees which look pathetic . Anyway good luck with them gary

You may want to start reading the industry publication on line called "Florida Grower". There is a wealth of information. You will see that there are multiple ways to off set the effects of greening and that the industry is hopeful for the future.

My area is swamped too, but not just greening, canker as well. I suspect my tree has both. Plus pests of all sorts.

I've read far and wide, and there is a lot out there on greening. A lot of science, and a lot of snake oil. The scientists I have read range from very pessimistic to hopeful but only in the long run. In my experience, anything offering you a cure or an inexpensive and non-labor intensive way to drag out the inevitable death of an infected tree is probably either just dreaming or trying to sell you something. Or both.

Citrus farmers are trying a range of stopgaps to keep the trees producing longer - antibiotics, root drenches, fioliar sprays - but the two things they all have in common is that they are all expensive and none of them cure the disease. Most of them only really slow it down in the short run, unless you combine the treatments.

Im not putting in another citrus until UF releases the genetically engineered citrus tree that has spinach genes in it. It's in early stages, but I read they isolated the gene in spinach that makes it immune to greening, and successfully spliced it into a grapefruit. If it works, greening will be over. The same scienctists expect that short of some similar gene engineering, the citrus industry is done in Florida - and in residential areas affected by it.

I quit trying to help my tree when I found out profit margins in citrus dropped by something like 30% or more when greening hit - that is how expensive it is to keep an infected tree alive.

Terrible. I heard that spinach thing is 10 years out. And then, what about the less popular non commercial varieties? I guess they're just gone? In north florida they're still recommending we remove infected trees. I think the ship has sailed on containment.

Ok- I had to seriously consider this thread before I answered. After thinking long and hard I have to say....poppycock. I have 2 infected trees. One that is doing the best it has in years due to the constant attention, but the fruit is still dropping prior to complete ripening and the only portions of the tree that are doing well are the lemon/lime parts. I have guava planted less than 10 ft away. LOTS of guava. and different types. I can't remember if I planted the guava first or the tree, but what I do know is that I have a key lime in a pot that is infected and I know for a fact that sucker was purchased after the guava were in. FWIW I not only have guava there in a bed but I also have it around the other side of the house as well.

THe only assumption I can make then is that the person writing the article either doesn't know how to identify the signs of greening, didn't wait long enough (I mean it doesn't just start dropping fruit 2 months after infection) or was trying to say that guava could be a trap crop.

If Guava is no help, lets assume all my trees get greening. What kinds of things are you doing to try to keep them alive? I know the grower's use "foliar sprays" but I can't seem to find any. They've all been treated but I know that will only kill the psyllid AFTER it infects them.

Can someone make a recommendation just so I have a treatment plan in place should the inevitable happen?

First thing is to do some research into the sprays they are recommending for the groves to use to combat the psyllid. I know it's twice but I don't know how far apart, if the fruit is on the tree during this time, etc. HOWEVER you need to be comfortable with spraying the chemicals for that. I'm in the group that won't apply malathion to my plants or other chemicals like that because I don't see the benefit of growing my own if I do that to my food.

After trying to prevent the infection I would also strengthen the tree with the same foliar feeding and root drenching that are used to prolong the life once it is infected. A stronger tree will be able to keep from being infected in the first place better than a tree that is already struggling in the health department. Essentially giving it excessive nutrients both in the ground and sprayed foliar. As far as specific feeds, I personally don't think that a brand is necessary as much as the quality of the nutrients being what the tree needs.

I understand that, the thing is, I can't really find anything marketed as a "foliar nutrient spray" for citrus. I'm afraid of using the wrong thing and harming the tree. Like right now, my tangerine has greasy spot. But I can't find a copper spray that seems to be specifically for citrus and this problem, so I don't know if im buying the right thing or not if I pull something off amazon at random.

Hi Audrey

If you search liquid Copper Fungicide on Amazon you can use the Monterey or Bonide Southern ag , for citrus they also make Chelated Citrus Nutritional Spray, It is not anything special for greening just the basic you should be spraying a few times per year.

HTH

Home Despot and/or Lowes should carry Southern Ag Citrus Nutitional Spray. It can be given as a foliar application or in a potted plant. During the summer months my plants didn't need it as much as they did from fall to spring.

I have a lemon, orange and a meyer. I also have an old grapefruit which doesn't fruit at all and is probably old root stock. I leave it because it hides a ugly fence. The lemon and orange were planted three years ago when we moved in.

I spray all with the nutritional sprays when I think of it. I do not use any chemical insecticides. All the trees look healthy except for some curled leaves but no greening that I can detect.

I do have about 4 Guavas on the property which were here when we bought the place. The citrus are about 50 ft from the Guavas. The Meyer is growing underneath and doesn't fruit because its too shaded.

Who knows? I figure if they stop producing, I'll cut them all down. I certainly wouldn't plant any new citrus trees until they figure this out in a natural-healthy way. I like a balanced approach. If the plant can't grow here, it won't!

My Mangoes, Avocados and Papayas seem happy. I have a bunch of lemons on my tree. No oranges. Not sure why but they are still young trees and look healthy....so far.

Jane