Curry Leaf tree curl

[lakshmithiru]

Hi,

I have 5-6 year old curry leaf tree, planted in the ground for last 5 years. Over the last year, it has had reduced production and has developed leaf curl.



I am located in Zone 9B and there was a lot of rain and wind over the last 6 months here. Spring has just started in Northern CA


Could anyone provide any insights as to what might be happening?

Thanks
Lakshmi

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum!

I have a 13 year old curry tree, and have never seen this, but mine is in a pot all the time, as I have to bring it in. Has it gotten too cold at any time? I only put mine out when it's over 50°. I'm sure imafan will chime in, and maybe others, that might be familiar with diseases on citrus, or maybe a nutrient problem, since it is in the same family. The only problem I ever had was scale insects, but even when covered with those insects, the leaves weren't curled.

[applestar]

I don’t have curry, but if citruses are similar and my experiences with them can be an indicator … puckered leaves almost always indicates some kind of sucking pest — also it’s hard to tell but if I’m correctly seeing brown dusty appearance, then I would say possibly mites.

- Do you see abnormality in the growing buds? (stubby, coated with rusty brown).

- Other very typical pests are mealy bugs and scale insects— examine underside of leaves alongside central vein closest to attachment to the leaf stems.

On citruses, first point of attack is often the wings on the leaf stems.

[imafan26]

I agree, sucking pests cause puckering and curling. You may see them on the underside of the leaf. Some are tiny, you may have to tap the leaf over a piece of white paper or use a hand lens about 30-40x. Pests are usually on the underside of the leaf.

That being said, I have a murraya koenigii and it rarely has any pests because they don't like the very aromatic plants, except for basil and bay leaves.

[lakshmithiru]

Thanks for responding! I think you all are on point. I see some very fine webs and it looks like spider mites. How would you suggest I proceed?

[imafan26]

first, use a water pistol and blast the underside of the leaves with water. You have to do this everyday. Insecticides don't work on spiders so you need to use a miticide.

If the temperature is over 80 degrees, your choices will be limited. You cannot use either sulfur or oil. You cannot use an oil or sulfur withing two weeks of each other or the plant will burn.

Pyrethrins can work but usually work best if mixed with insecticidal soap or sulfur.
Pyrethrins are nerve poisons that weaken the bugs but don't always kill them, so it is usually paired with a second substance that works in a different mode. Pyrethrins are short acting but are very toxic to bees and beneficial insects so it should not be the first choice if beneficial insects are patrolling.

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/spid ... vegetables
https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html