erins327
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Location: Houston, TX

Augh- do I give up on these Satsuma seedlings?

I started these from seed last January. They seem to be affected my the Leafminer with no avail, can't find anything that really helps get rid of them. Good soil, compost in there, just doesnt grow or is it me?

Is it worth it to keep going or should I just toss them?
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applestar
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What have you tried? Leafminers are typically impervious to sprays on the leaf surface because they are INSIDE. I’m not familiar with citrus leaf miners so I can only give you general opinion based on leafminers that infest other plants, but what I would do is clip off every single leaf that appears to be infested and dispose of them — burn or securely bag and throw away.

Then consider replacing the top layer of potting mix if citrus leaf miners pupate in the soil like other leaf miners. I would scratch up and basically sweep out any loose potting mix on the surface being careful not to damage the surface roots, then replace with fresh potting mix.

Then what I would do is make netted screen covers for the plants. These are small enough that it should not be too difficult. You will need to put together some kind of frame with heavy wire (like coat hanger) or maybe bamboo canes. The netting can be material used for mosquito screen. I don’t sew, so I would just fold edges together and staple into a tube, then twist wire closed the top and tie the bottom edge under the rim of the flower pot with elastic string.

If you are good with needle and thread, you could sew the seams and make the top and bottom into a draw string closure with tight closure for the top or even zippered closure for the top, and elastic string closure for the bottom.

Alternatively, you can make a screened box for both of these plants.

Key is to make sure there are no gaps and the leaves do not touch the screen/netting because then the leaf miners on the outside can lay eggs on the leaves through the netting.

With some luck, there won’t be any left on the plants or in the soil and by removing any additional leaves that show infestation before they mature, you will completely break their life cycle so no more will come back.

Once the plants are bigger, they can probably withstand a certain amount of infestation and leaf loss as you diligently pick off infested leaves, and you could use sticky traps to capture the flying adults.

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rainbowgardener
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Agree, no reason to give up on them. Another thing that helps is to put something like landscape fabric or plastic with pin holes for water over the soil. The leaf miner larvae when they have tunnelled around inside the leaf for long enough, tunnel out and drop down to the soil surface where they burrow in a bit and pupate. If they can't get to the soil, that also helps interrupt their life cycle.

As applestar noted, once your trees are a little bigger, the leaf miners won't bother them so much. They can easily lose 10% of their leaves without being slowed down. Leaf miners are by far not the worst pest to have in your garden! :)

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ElizabethB
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Location: Lafayette, LA

I have leaf minors on my mature Satsuma - a 5 gallon plant that has been in the ground for 4 years. I spoke to my County Agent. His advice is to not worry about it. It does not impact fruit production - just looks bad. Any treatment would have minor impact on the critters and involve chemicals that I do not want to use.

NOTE: your plant is young. Leaf loss on a young plant is more of a problem than on mature plants. Citrus trees (most fruit trees) are grafted - grown on root stock. They are also hybridized. If you achieve fruit production - several years down the road - you may or may not get fruit that is true to the parent.

Unless you are OK with investing several years of time and effort for an iffy result you would be better served by investing in a 5 gallon plant. :eek:

Sorry - not what you want to hear. As a "Senior" I no longer have the interest or energy for "Iffy" propositions.

Good luck.

erins327
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Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2012 10:21 am
Location: Houston, TX

I hear ya ElizabthB, I did it on a whim last January, but I think you are right. I'd rather just spend the 30ish dollars and start with a bigger healthy, guaranteed seedling tree! It was fun while it lasted!



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