I have always dreamed of having a garden covered with large fruit trees, the kind that give off intense aromas and give away ripe and organic fruits.
It is a pending account that one day I hope to settle, so in the meantime I take the opportunity to learn more about fruit trees and their needs because the day I can plant my first specimens I will know how to take care of them.
Intimate enemies
Studying the issue of pests, I have found that orange trees, lemon trees and other trees in this group are affected by a very frequent pest, the Citrus miner.
It is the great enemy in Spain and other latitudes and is also known as citrus leaf miner. Its official name is Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton and it is a microlepidotero originally from Southeast Asia. You have to be careful with it as it causes serious damage to plants.
In addition to affect the orange and lemon trees, also appears in the grapefruit tree, cider, lime and mandarin.
Detection and control
To detect the presence of this pest, it is enough to observe the trees because after their passage they leave galleries in the leaves, which in turn twist. The species reproduces quickly and that is another great risk. That is why its control is important.
To control the miner, there are several specific products, although the time of application must also be taken into account as it must always be on new shoots of 4 to 6 cm. long because that is where the eggs are deposited.
A single application is not enough, but it is necessary to do four throughout the year: one at the end of winter and spring, another 10 or 12 days after this treatment, then at the end of summer budding and finally a reinforcement of this 10 or 12 days after this treatment.
