patsywhitehair

please, can anybody tell my why the leaves on my lemon tree are going all curly?
I bought this tree with me fm england, its only about 3/4 tall,but i had had it for 2 years , all went well, its been here for 6 months now ,untill i noticed the leaf curl, dont know what to do. Is it to do with watering, pests,hope somebody can help, any budding gardeners out there.
thanks patsy

BritBull

Curling leaves is not a problem or disease in its own right, but a symptom of something else. Often indicates the presence of an insect pest(such as leaf miners), but sometimes it's caused by unusually low temperatures.
Certain fertilisation problems can also be to blame.

None of these is likely to prevent fruit forming if the plant is growing OK. It's probably just taking a rest after producing well last year. Some citrus have a tendency to alternate year bearing.

How i love google

If it's of any use, we bought one here, planted in a large pot in all day full sunlight.
I give it a good watering every night (when it's this sunny and the soil is dry one inch below the surface). Never any fertiliser.
It's come on leaps and bounds, new shoots everywhere, a very healthy plant.

Fred James

It is leaf curl caused by the leaf miner moth. It usually happens about now.

Spray it with Bayer Confidor insectide. Next year apply the insecticide to the trunk and around the base of the tree in the spring.

It is a systemic insecticide so it is absorbed by the tree and stays active for months. It certainly works on our trees.

rugbymatt

Sorry to but in but your leaf curl is most probably shock, your lemon may well be a Mediterranean plant but most likely it was grown in Holland, and suddenly its gone to where it needs to be and is in a bit of a stress period. you could spray it and you could give it a bit of a feed but i would just calm down and let it acclimatise. but then what do i know. good luck

Fred James

I doubt that it as simple as that.

Look at the leaves. If you see tiny squiggly tracks on the leaves then it is the Minadores. It is quite obvious if you look carefully.

It is a very common problem here in Spain. Probably not a lot of it in Sussex though!

rugbymatt

Si puedes ser, pero quien dices que soy ingles? books and covers! anyway like i said what do i know, its only my job. from experience people tend to look for the complicated and not the simple, i tend to start at the bottom and work my way up, that way i tend not to do unnecessary things to a plant! PS i may live in Sussex but NO SOY DE AQUI!!!!!!!!!

Chiclanagir

Why don´t you fertilise?

BritBull

The compost is fresh.
The plant was repotted less than 3 months back.
No need to fertilise a plant which is growing so fast and looks so healthy.
Fertiliser in only required once the soil nutrients begin to lack, I would say a minimum of 6 months after repotting.
But I am always careful not to over fertilise as this can make a plant even more sick than not fertilising at all.

Fred James

As I said before, check for the squiggly lines on the leaves. If they have them then it is the Minadores and it needs a spray.

If not it could be a whole host of things but from my experience growing Citrus, at this time of year, minadores are the most likely thing.

Solarwhizz

Are you the Fred James who used to have the Andy Capp on another forum now defunct??

Chiclanagir

But if the tree is in the ground, should you fertilise? I can also get some fresh horse manure can you put it straight on the tree?

jdr

Fresh will kill any plants

Fred James

No.

BritBull

Planted in the ground it should get all the nutrients it needs.
I would suspect bugs as suggested by Fred.
Try an insecticide.
Spray it on quite liberally, leave it overnight, then spray clean water over the plant the next morning (without direct sunlight - you don't want to burn it) to wash off any excess insecticide.

Sir John

I'm not a gardener but learning,i have lemon trees and orange trees in my garden in spain,the pervious owner said spray the trees with insecticide in september?,silly question but having just read a post does that mean the whole tree or leaves/flowers ect or trunk i would presume th eleaves and flowers am i wrong and is th etime correct just september,appreciate advice.

paris