If you have a tree that you suspect has ACP/HLB, call the California Department of Food and Agriculture Exotic Pest Hotline (800)492-1899. Within that time, it makes no sense to keep the tree around since any fruit produced will not be tasty and the tree will only look sickly while acting as a factory for ACP. And don't expect it to taste good!Įventually the tree will die, it could take up to 5 years. If the tree fruits, the fruit may not mature properly, you can end up with fruit that looks half ripe and small. When this is happening, the tree will no longer grow. You may notice only leaves on one side of the tree yellowing. With HLB, the yellowing is usually asymetric. Many diseases and nutrient deficiencies can cause tree leaves to yellow. The disease starts by yellowing the veins of leaves and spreads over time. What you will see is evidence of HLB, the bacterial disease that kills the trees. You won't find the Asian Citrus Psyllid insects on your tree, they are far too tiny. This includes Sichuan Pepper trees, and a tree that is particularly important to my family, the curry tree (Murraya koenigii). Unfortunately, HLB doesn't just affect citrus plants, but all plants in the Rue family (Rutaceae). Local nurseries are allowed to sell citrus plants, but they are licensed and required to have the knowledge to recognize HLB infestations so that they do not perpetuate the spread of the disease. That is why nursery stock is being so tightly regulated. The main way that HLB spreads is by transporting plants that are already infected with ACP. HLB risks destroying a $7 billion economy in California. Citrus is an important crop grown throughout the Central Valley and other farmland. Of course, citrus isn't just important to California because people grow them on their homes. The answer is the Asian Citrus Psyllid bug, which carries a bacterial disease called Huanglongbing (HLB), that is potentially very devastating to California's citrus trees. If you have tried to buy citrus plants online, you may have noticed warning that they would not ship to California, yet you can go to a local nursery and pick one up easily. Are you getting poor fruiting? Sour oranges, or bitter lemons? Do the leaves look oddly speckled, curled, or otherwise unhealthy? Read on. That said, you may have existing fruit trees in your yard that you are unsure how to care for. So I recommend tackling the disease section first, especially if you are considering adding citrus to your garden. There is a very serious problem with growing citrus in Southern California right now, especially in the Los Angeles area. Those of us who live beneath the San Gabriel or San Bernardino mountains are probably very familiar with the history of orange and lemon groves that once dominated the landscape. Yet oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, lowquats and all of the other citrus fruits are ubiquitous in California. Here is everything you need to know to get the most out of that tree!Ĭitrus are foreign plants, originating almost exclusively in China. If live in a house in Southern California there is about a 50% chance you already own at least one citrus tree.
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