scott home, I was not able to find sugar cane or the honey jar jujube tree in my area. I just plant my Li jujube tree this year and I heard it bears bigger and very sweet fruit. The best place to find Meiwa seedless kumquat(which is best tasting kumquat) is JRN nursery in Houston. They have many trees and usually let you taste the fruit too. Kumquat is so unique that you can eat the skin and all, it is citrusy but not much like orange either, it's delightful that's all I can say, plus you do not have to harvest whole bunch at once and store, it will stay on the tree through frost and cold and does not change texture or taste so just pluck some eat all through the winter.

For citrus groves, the eulophid wasp is pretty effective in controlling peelminer. Since there are several wasp species in Florida that do the same for leaf miner, I imagine there would be some possible cross-parasitism. Unfortunately, cultivating wasps is out of the question for backyard hobbyists. It's my opinion that the benefit of neem oil is more preventative, in keeping the adult form from even landing on a tree that's been sprayed. That because of the smell, more than anything else. There's probably a pesticidal benefit for insects the oil contacts as well, but when I spray, I'm not especially concerned with getting the oil on all parts of new flushes. This is why I think that neem will be an effect deterrent in both cases. Peelminer adults lay eggs on the bottom sides of leaves (allowing them to be sheltered from large-scale pesticidal applications), but leaf miner behaves similarly. I can eliminate leaf miner by spraying the top sides of leaves. So, it stands to reason that the effects of neem oil would be similar for both moth species. Moths have highly-developed senses of smell. -Bruce

Imelda, commercial orchardists in Florida (and in all citrus producing states), don't just rely on Imidacloprid. They use a series of various foliar and systemic insecticides to try to manage their orchards. The goal for commercial growers in Florida is to try to keep the trees alive a year or two longer than the average 5 year death rate. Right now, they are rotationally re-planting their orchards, and relying on several pesticides, as well as other measures (such as the one John mentioned - planting less desirable trees around the perimeter of their orchards) to try to stretch out their replacement rates due to death from HLB. The goal for our commercial growers here in California is to kill the psyllid prior to being able to feed on the tree, or incapacitate the psyllid to such a degree, that even if it does begin to feed, there isn't enough time for a potentially infected psyllid (I use the adverb, "potentially" to indicate that we do not have any infected psyllids discovered, yet in California) to inject their infected saliva back into the tree, and thus infect the tree.And, as Steve has pointed out, most certainly would not make it to tree #2, to spread the disease. Also, imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid, and one of the useful features of neonicotinoids is that they are anti-feedants, so psyllids don’t want to feed on trees treated with them. It causes the tree to naturally repel psyllids. Commercial growers have been recommended to apply imidacloprid systemically every 6 weeks, and then use various foliar pesticide applications in between that use different modes of action. Suzi, that is the philosophy behind integrated pest management - use the least harmful management option, first. Only resorting to more intense or toxic management options if the less harmful options are insufficient. You're doing the responsible thing. I was using Spinosad only to treat CLM, but now, I am compelled to also use Imidacloprid as well, since I have over 100 citrus trees on my property, and am adjacent to 157 acres of completely un-managed and abandoned citrus trees that are a giant magnet for all manner of pests. I don't want to use systemic pesticides, as I don't relish eating fruit with pesticide residuals, which is why I grow my own fruit. But, we are in extreme times, and as they say, "extreme times require extreme measures". I am very careful to apply only the recommended amounts and frequencies. I spray my Spinosad in the evening, after the bees have gone back to the hives, and try to spray only after blossom time is over (not always possible with my lemons, as they bloom multiple times). Patty S.

Without benefit of photos, I would guess you are under fertilizing and/or not applying the fertilizer at the drip line. And lose the stake; your tree doesn't need it; and it prevents the trunk from bending and strengthening.