The Tropical Fruit Forum

Yes, treat it immediately. You can read on gummosis, very common, lots of information on the internet if you just type "citrus gummosis"

Here's a basic info on it if you have not read the internet.

https://www.agrisolutionland.com/citrus-gummosis/

I hear some people say torching works well. Your tree isn't that bad, but still do something about it now.

Thanks! I have done a lot of Internet research on gummosis. I came here to ask the experts because most of what I see online either doesn't include pictures, or includes pictures of pretty advanced cases on mature trees. Large open, bleeding sores on big trunks. The recommended solution is to cut away the infected bark. My tree is young and small, and I feared removing too much bark. While the wounds are presumably small on this tree, so are the branches and my imprecise cuts on small limbs could amount to 1/4-1/2 of the circumference being removed. I was hoping the small scale of the infection or the young age of the tree might indicate a less invasive treatment approach.

I just noticed this gummosis on my Meyer lemon tree, planted in the fall. I don't think it is foot rot because there is no apparent infection on the trunk. But still, from what I understand all gummosis is fungal. The only treatment I've seen for this is to cut away the infected bark and spray with copper fungicide. But this tree is so young, I'm scared at the thought of removing so much bark. As I understand, the tree will heal over but it will essentially be a callous, no functioning cambium. Would you wait and see, or operate?

The tree has sentimental value: I grew the rootstock from seed and grafted it myself. I don't want to just replace the tree if I can save it. My climate is hot and dry (Phoenix, AZ), it is spring time for us. All my trees are beginning their flush, it is 80s during the day right now. I assume that means this is a good time to operate if that is what is necessary.

I was out inspecting my recently planted citrus trees and I was horrified to see that I had accidentally left some training wire in place that I used to stake the trees when they were very young. Their trunks have grown since then and there are some deepish grooves where the training wire was. The trees don't seem to be affected yet, and fortunately they were not completed girdled. Still, how big of an issue will this cause when they get older? I grafted these trees myself from rootstock I grew from seed. I have a backup for both of these trees in pots if needed, but I'd rather not dig these out and plant new ones if I don't have too. OTOH, I don't want these trees dying in 5 years.

I bought this meiwa kumquat a few years ago and kept it in a pot because I didn't have a yard until now. I finally planted it in the ground yesterday. It got severely sunburned when I first bought it. You can see a long strip of scar tissue going up the trunk. It has almost completely grown over now. I know it's not "healed" and that dead tissue will always be in the tree. I'm also assuming it won't grow new buds there so it will always be a bare stretch of trunk. I'm wondering how weak/vulnerable it will be in the future. Should I cut that section of trunk out and let it be a short bush, or keep the burned trunk and allow it to keep growing up?

I recently planted in ground the citrus trees I raised in pots for the last two years. In pots, the natural bushy growth could droop down because the pots lift the plant off the ground. When I planted them in ground, a few had branches that are now draped on the surface of my wood mulch. Do I need to prune these off to reduce pest/disease issues? Or are the branches fine to touch the ground? If they do need to go, is it fine to do that in the spring or do they need to go now?

Sorry for posting another potting mix thread....

I'm needing to make a change and am searching for alternatives. I have several trees in modified 5-1-1, but I need to do some up-potting and my source for the pine bark has turned to garbage.
I know I could use reptibark or Bonsai Jack but that becomes cost prohibitive for me in large quantities. I have all my trees on a drip system, so whatever I switch to will need to be comparable to 5-1-1 in terms of drainage so I don't run into issues. I have one tree in the 1:1 Turface MVP:MGGS and that seems to do well, but the resulting mix is HEAVY, and probably wouldn't be suitable to put in the ground later (which I hope to do once I get more property). I could do CHC, but I understand that tends to break down pretty quickly with how much watering I have to do here in Phoenix. So, besides pine bark, CHC, or Turface, are there really any other options?

I do have a distributor of EB Stone mixes. I've never used those but they look like good quality. I also have access to Sunshine Mix #4. I can get plenty of course (#3) perlite. Any ideas for a low-cost mix that might be comparable to 5-1-1, or negative experiences with EB Stone or Sunshine Mix #4?

Thanks in advance!

Will do, thank you!

I did a bunch of bud grafts in the early spring that are all doing really well. I have a few rootstock left over and would like to graft over more variety. I'm in Phoenix so it's hot right now, but just starting to come down. Our low to high temps are averaging upper 80s to low triple digits. We probably have a good 2-3 months left in the growing season before trees slow down for winter. Would it be okay to do a cleft graft now, or should I wait for spring?

I ordered DaisySL budwood from Arizona's budwood program. I don't know if they ship out of state like California does, but it couldn't hurt to ask. It was very affordable. The website is not super useful, but you can check it out here:
https://www.nationalcleanplantnetwork.org/copy-of-north-carolina-university
Dr. Glenn Wright has handled questions and ordering for me in the past. You can reach him at gwright@ag.arizona.edu

My local co-op doesn't say anything about citrus at all

Perks of living in a citrus state, I guess. Something to make up for the inability to order anything citrus related online.

Congratulations on a new, healthy tree! I've never ordered from them because I'm in a restricted state, but I've only heard good things about them. I wish I could replicate their potting mix. Last time I looked, it was over $70 just to ship. I can't justify that for all my trees.

Hi Travillion, here is a link I found that mentions folded leaves of the DaisySL Mandarin, with pictures of the foliage that show the leaves are somewhat folded. So, I wouldn't worry too much but it's a good idea that you moved it to a shady spot. Good luck!


https://citrusvariety.ucr.edu/crc4203

Wow, great find! I've actually read that page many times when I was deciding which mandarin variety to graft, but the appropriate sections didn't stand out to my inexperienced eyes. Thank you!

Curled up leaves usually stay that way no matter what you do. That's my experience on many fruits. But those trees still produce nice fruit and big yields. My persimmon always curls. Same for my Goldrush apple. Both produce every year and a big yield of full sized fruit.

Good to know, thank you! I'll look for other signs of recovery then, like trunk turgor and new growth, rather than leaves uncurling.