How can I stop insect from eating my citrus tree leaves?
by
Denise
+1
I just plant a grapefruit tree but the leaves are being by insect, how can I stop that from happening??????
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Neem oil spray. or you could use rubbing alcohol sprayed on. You will have to repeat everyday for a week or so. With neem oil about twice a week. Alcohol will kill insect but does no harm to plants.
Sarah is right, Neem oil sprayed on, be sure to get both sides of the leaf.
Of course the oil will last longer than the alcohol, less labor intensive. Reapply after rain.
Leaf-eating bugs such as aphids, caterpillars or mining insects can make the foliage of citrus treeslook unattractive. The good news is, this is usually the extent of the damage and these pests do not actually hurt the tree or the fruit. You'll do more damage to your fruit spraying it with anything you don't want to ingest.I use Praying Mantis Egg cases & live Lady bugs in my citrus trees -no chemicals. you can buy these beneficial bugs online here is where I get mine https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/beneficial-insects-organisms Please only use neem spray in the very early morning or late afternoon, or you may hurt beneficial insects. Neem oil is not toxic to them but it can suffocate them if you spray them directly and soap can hurt them too.
You should only spray neem at times when insects are not active. Once the spray has dried it is not harmful to good insects any more, only to sucking and chewing bugs.As long as you use a home made spray with pure neem oil (product link) it is totally safe. (If using a premade commercial spray, read the label carefully. Some products contain the usual insecticides and only have some neem added on top of that.) buying neem oil from a trusted source is essential.Neem spray can be used on your fruits and vegetables. You can spray vegetables and fruit trees with home made neem spray right up until the day of harvest. Also, there are no herbs, vegetables or fruit trees that are sensitive to oil sprays.
Soil drenches are designed to get the plant to absorb the neem oil through the roots. There are some vegetables, like onions, cabbages, and tomoatoes, that apparently do not like soil drenches with raw neem oil. Spraying, however, is fine.Soil drenches also kill beneficial organisms in soil that are needed for healthy soil function.
Neem is generally safe for all plants, both edible and ornamental. However, all oils can do injury to sensitive plants. 0.5% is a low enough concentration to avoid that, but be careful if plants are drought stressed, when the humidity is high, or during periods of extreme heat or cold.will burn the foliage especially if sprayed on plants that are in sun. Can you see the leaves with marks that look chewed on or are they just curled up? Leaf curl is a watering issue.a reminder that natural is not necessarily synonymous with safety, is that neem oil can interact with insulin, some oral diabetic medications agents, and thyroid hormone supplementation medication,both in people and pets
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