How to treat citrus trees with curled leaves?

Question

I have a lemon plant and a mandarins plant but lately I have seen all the leaves are curled and this morning I found a huge bug. What can I do to revive my citrus plants.

Sofia26 · Answer

Thank you so much Mitchell. This is really helpful. I'll start the treatment asap and hopefully I get some good produce soon.

MitchellMc · Answer

Hi @Sofia26 ,

Thanks for the photos. That looks very much like citrus leaf curl caused by stress and pest activity affecting the soft new growth. The older leaves look fairly healthy, but the fresh growth is becoming tightly curled and distorted, which is quite common on citrus and is likely due to citrus leaf miner.

The best thing you can do is:

* Spray the new growth with an eco oil, covering both sides of the leaves.
* Keep the plant consistently watered, especially during warm or windy weather.
* Feed with a citrus fertiliser to encourage stronger healthy growth.
* Remove any badly twisted new shoots if they don’t improve.

The curled leaves won’t usually flatten back out, but once treated, the plant should start producing healthy new growth again over the coming weeks.

The caterpillar appears to be an Orchard Swallowtail, which is quite common on citrus trees. They can chew leaves quite heavily, but they’re not usually the cause of the curled and distorted new growth you’re seeing.

Here's a helpful guide: How to treat a sick citrus tree.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell