I had some pretty bad rust mite damage on my oranges last season (I posted about it here: What's wrong with my orange tree? back in Nov). I got advice from several places that I should treat the tree with neem oil this year to prevent mites. What I don't know is when I should treat the tree.
I am in Tampa, FL. The tree currently has flowers in bloom.
Thanks!
It is hard to prevent mites from coming.
Good sanitation is a must. Get rid of all fallen leaves and debris
Mites come in hot dry weather on the wind.
Wash off the leaves with a jet of water everytime you water
Neem cannot kill what it does not contact, so treating without mites present will just kill mite predators which are other mites.
It should not be used unless there is a problem to treat and only if the predators are not taking adequate care of the issue
Move the tree if is in a pot to a different location, sometime you can hide things that way. The plant has to be clean and the location it is going to has to be far from other host plants. Underplant the citrus with garlic or onions. Sometimes it helps to disguise the odor.
I use baking soda sprays as a dessicant and that has helped and I have used alcohol as a contact spray. Mostly I just use water and wash down the leaves to knock anything on the leaves off. Put out the ant bait. Scale is a bigger problem. Keep the plant fed and watered so it is the strongest you can make it. Pest will always attack the weakest plants first.
Good sanitation is a must. Get rid of all fallen leaves and debris
Mites come in hot dry weather on the wind.
Wash off the leaves with a jet of water everytime you water
Neem cannot kill what it does not contact, so treating without mites present will just kill mite predators which are other mites.
It should not be used unless there is a problem to treat and only if the predators are not taking adequate care of the issue
Move the tree if is in a pot to a different location, sometime you can hide things that way. The plant has to be clean and the location it is going to has to be far from other host plants. Underplant the citrus with garlic or onions. Sometimes it helps to disguise the odor.
I use baking soda sprays as a dessicant and that has helped and I have used alcohol as a contact spray. Mostly I just use water and wash down the leaves to knock anything on the leaves off. Put out the ant bait. Scale is a bigger problem. Keep the plant fed and watered so it is the strongest you can make it. Pest will always attack the weakest plants first.