Sooty mould on lemon tree

I got an email from the Yates Gardening Club today that reminded me about the sooty mould I used to have on my lemon tree.

It looked like this:

Lemon 2.JPG

If you ever see this kind of black ash on your citrus leaves or lots of ants, make sure you tackle the problem. It's caused by scale insects which are sap suckers and will likely kill your tree. You need to use a pyrethrim-based spray to smother and suffocate the insects.

Cath

Community manager's note: Check out How to diagnose a sick plant for expert advice.

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Comments

timjeffries

I had this on my last lot of citrus. I didn't get onto it early enough and it was a disaster. Got a whole new bunch of citrus in now and am always on the lookout for it.

Gerald

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/489#Comment_489

you both correct , Mold is the end result of an initial problem , The insects break the membrane on a leaf giving Mold a food source , Mold cannot self sustain its life without a spore a food source and moisture , as no one can stop mold as it is needed in our enviroment to break down organic matter , your both correct , wage a war on the insects quickly .

enginibraimi

Pls someone help me. How can I fix this? What is the name of the spray I need to buy ?

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/27733#Comment_27733

Hello @enginibraimi

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us.

Sooty mould on citrus trees occurs when aphids or similar sap-feeding insects infest them. These pests feed on the sugary juices and release a sticky substance called "honeydew," which serves as a magnet for the development of unsightly black mould.

I suggest spraying the tree with Yates 750ml Ready To Use Nature's Way Citrus And Ornamental Spray. It's an insecticide that carries organic certification and is specifically formulated to efficiently manage insect pests on fruit trees, ornamental plants, and vegetables.

This spray harnesses the power of pyrethrin, a natural insecticide derived from the pyrethrum daisy, along with canola oil. It effectively targets a diverse range of insect pests, whether they chew on or suck plant tissues. Additionally, this product offers the advantage of seaweed extract, which enhances plant growth.

It's important that you target the insects that are causing the fungal growth. Once the insects are eliminated the tree should be able to recover.

My number one reminder is to make sure to spray underneath the leaves so that the entire tree is covered.

Please remember to wear personal protection such as gloves, goggles and a mask. Please make sure to follow all the safety precautions recommended at the back of the bottle.

Here is a link to our best advice: How do you keep sooty mould off your lemon tree?

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

enginibraimi

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/76455#Comment_76455

Thank you Eric. I will try and let you know how I go.

Also, my citrus (lemon & orange) in the last two years have been battling with producing fruits but most importantly also leaves. Number of leaves are getting less and less and also yellow. I have tried many things but I don’t seem to recover it. The first three years number of new leaves and fruit produced it was enormous. Just for record I did not feed anything in this three years. Please help on this too.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/102150#Comment_102150

Hi @enginibraimi,

It sounds like you need to start feeding the plants. I'd recommend applying Scotts Osmocote Slow Release Fruit and Citrus Fertiliser every six months. This will provide your plants with the steady flow of nutrients they need.

You might like to post some pictures of the plants and provide a bit more information on your watering regime, the mix they're planted into and whether the pots have good drainage.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

enginibraimi

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118080#Comment_118080

enginibraimi

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/127396#Comment_127396

First pic is lemon and second one is orange. How much feed you think this two trees will need?

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/133524#Comment_133524

Hi @enginibraimi,

Your trees do look like they could use a bit of a feed. I'd recommend following the application instructions on the fertiliser container. For the Scotts product I linked to above, it's four tablespoons per metre of height.

How's the water drainage in the area? Does the soil dry out in between rain and your watering?

Mitchell

enginibraimi

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118080#Comment_118080

I have been told many things to feed like:

potash, bone and blood, iron chelate on leafs, thrive fertiliser, power feed but nothing has helped.

enginibraimi

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137304#Comment_137304

Soil stays quiet wet especially in three out of 4 season is wet all the time.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/137304#Comment_137304

You mentioned previously that you hadn't fed anything to the plant in three years, @enginibraimi. Have you been feeding it the items you've just listed?

Trees don't like constantly wet feet, so you might like to look at installing some drainage to remove water from the area. In some locations around Australia, we've had some wet years, and many established trees that were previously doing well have started to die. If you've experienced some rather wet years, there could now be a moisture retention issue with the soil.

Mitchell

enginibraimi

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139914#Comment_139914

I have been in this house for 5 years. First 3 years no feed at all . Produced a lot of fruits and leaves especially lemon, I was feeding all neighbours with lemons. Drain is the same nothing changed. After that started to slowly not produce leaves and then fruits. In last two years I have been given the mentioned above products to help recover but nothing helps. Hence I need help on what is the right product to recover. Everytime I go bunnings they recommend something new and I am confused what helps, so I joined this group to better help me please

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141723#Comment_141723

Thanks for clarifying, @enginibraimi. I can see now that you didn't feed the plant in the first three years.

Since you have been feeding the plant, it would be best to look at other reasons why it might not be performing well. I'm interested in your comment about the soil being wet all the time. A tree can not survive in soil that is wet all the time. I understand that the drainage has not changed, but weather conditions in many areas have. In Sydney, we've had trees that have been established for 20+ years that have the same drainage and are now dying due to waterlogged soil.

Key areas to look at would be fertilisation, watering and insect infestation. Your fertilisation seems to be adequate, and there are no obvious insect infestations apart from a little sooty mould. That removes the two issues and points towards the watering. The plant is either overwatered or underwater. The fence has moss growing on it, indicating the area is very wet. It would be my opinion that the plant has waterlogged roots and is suffering from this.

Mitchell

daveedeann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/76455#Comment_76455

Is there anything I can do? It's all over there tree now. We spotted it to late and now I feel like chopping to all down. Hubby got carried away when pruning 🫣

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/102860#Comment_102860

Hello @daveedeann

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's wonderful to have you join us.

I'm sorry to hear that you've sooty mould on your lemon tree. If you go back to the start of this discussion, I recommended using Yates 750ml Ready To Use Nature's Way Citrus And Ornamental Spray. My number one tip is to spray under the leaves so that the entire tree is covered in the spray. At this point I can't make any guarantees that your tree will recover. All you can do is to try and treat the infestation and hope that the tree is strong enough to recover.

You'll notice that the discussion also talks about watering and waterlogged soil that leads to other diseases so it's important to keep an eye on these symptoms as well.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

daveedeann

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/118449#Comment_118449

Thank you very much for the reply. Do you reccomend pruning as much as we can to make it easier to get rid of the disease?

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/127655#Comment_127655

HI @daveedeann

At this point in time, I recommend not pruning any further as it will be detrimental to your plant's wellbeing. You can remove the dead leaves and dry branches but no more than that.

If you need further assistance, please let me know.

Eric

John57

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/76455#Comment_76455

It’s winter and the trees are wet. Can they be sprayed effectively in these conditions?

My orange just dropped off and it’s covered by sooty mould. The tree is covered in the soot. Should I cut off the branches having the mould?

It will be months until the tree is dry, maybe I can find a day but unlikely this week. 😉

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/105877#Comment_105877

Hello @John57

I suggest waiting for the tree to dry off as spraying the tree while its wet will will not be as effective. Evaporation will carry off the spray instead of staying on the leaves. To accelerate drying, I suggest using a blower on the leaves of the tree. The badly infected branches can be removed, but excessive trimming can be detrimental to the health of the tree as well. My only other suggestion is to wait for a sunny day to spray the trees.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

John57

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/120091#Comment_120091

Thanks Eric, standing by for some dry weather. Meanwhile tried the Valencia or ange that fell off the tree. Sour sweet and fresh!

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