Hello Team,
I noticed this bug on my Mandarin plant, there were 3 and I removed them. What are they and how to protect my plant? I sprayed EcoOil, not sure this will help. Please advise.
Thanks
Balaji.
Definitely a caterpillar @balaji27. Have you noticed that they are eating the leaves of your plant? Hopefully manual removal does the trick.
Let me tag the ever-helpful @Noelle to see what she might use to keep them at bay.
The guide How to plan, grow and care for a mandarin tree should also be a helpful resource for you.
Jason
Hi @balaji27
Not sure what the caterpillar may turn into after it matures into an adult, but it is obviously causing damage to your mandarin tree!
My suggestion would be a pyrethrum-based insecticidal spray. Pyrethrum is a natural product that is not systemic and not harmful to humans or pets when used as directed. To be effective, it must be applied directly to the pest itself (as a 'contact' poison) or to the leaves of the plant it is eating where it will ingest the insecticide.
There are several brands of pyrethrum available
Hi @balaji27,
Looks like you've already received some excellent advice.
I just wanted to point out that those are some exceptionally large thorns for what I presume is a grafted mandarin. The growth you're showing in your images could be a sucker that has grown from beneath the graft line at the base of your plant. Suckers need to be pruned off as they are from the grafted root stock and not the plant you should be growing. If you can take a picture of the whole plant and then a closer-up image of just the trunk section, I can provide further advice on whether this is a sucker.
Mitchell
Thanks @Jason @Noelle @MitchellMc for the prompt response.
@MitchellMc - Please find the close-up pictures from different sides for your reference. Please advise me the next steps and also how to prune the plant. Your guidance is highly appreciated.
Thanks,
Hi again @balaji27
Any shoot or branch that has the long thorns on it should be cut off completely as that is the rootstock your mandarin has been grafted on to.
The rootstock is very vigorous - if you don't cut off those thorny shoots they will take over and you will lose the mandarin you want to grow..
With sharp secateurs, cut them off flush with the trunk or, if they arise from the soil, gently scrape the soil back and cut them off the roots from which they are growing. Keep an eye our for any further rootstock shoots and cut them out as soon as you notice them.
Thanks @Noelle for the prompt advice.
I want to be sure before I cut the wrong ones off the plant correctly, so would you please refer to the pics and let me know which I should be cutting it off? I marked them as 1 to 4.
Also there are 4 stems plus the one that has the label and black support stick tied to it and this one doesn't have any growth - no leaves or branches. The stems that have grown all have thorns (marks 1-4), so a bit confused.
Stems 1, 3 and 4 (the green thicker stems) all look like rootstock to me. The only stem you should retain is 2 (the central brown stem tied to the stake) which is the grafted mandarin. The three rootstock shoots are all arising from the roots by the look of it, so you should gently scrape back the soil to expose where they appear from the roots, and cut them off completely and cleanly. If you don't they will take all the vigour from the roots and eventually the mandarin. Rootstocks generally do not produce edible fruits.
Hello @Noelle - thanks again for the advice, much appreciated.
I had removed the rootstock shoots from the root, actually there were only 3 stems not 4 as I mentioned in my previous message.
Please refer to the pics before and after removing the rootstocks. I left the middle stem from the grafted section. Hope I did the right thing.
Thanks a lot,
Scraped - Before cuttingScraped - Before cuttingAfter cutting the rootstockAfter cutting the rootstock
The big thick green stem (behind the brown one with the green tape on it) also needs to be cut off - it is also rootstock. In all you should have removed all three green stems.
@Noelle mentioned you need to remove 3 stems, leaving only the brown stem that you originally labelled as 2.
You still need to remove the green stem, as you can see it is coming from below the graft.
This green stem is growing from the rootstock and will not produce mandarins, so it should be removed.
Jacob
Thanks for picking it up @JacobZ , much appreciated.
My question is, the one with the grafting / with the stake (the brown stem), doesn't have any leaves or haven't grown. Does it mean that this plant is not alive? Or were the rootstocks sucking all the energy and not allowed the brown stem to grow? Please advise, I am concerned about my plant.
Hello @balaji27
Can you please take a photo of the entire plant and share it with the community? This will give us a better idea if the graft is still viable. Once we see the entire plant we'll be able to give you better advice.
Eric
Morning @EricL , thanks for the message.
Please find the images as required. The brown stem attached to the stake (circled yellow) has no growth, no leaves, looks dried to me. Only the other stem (circled green) from the graft has growth. Please advise whether I should cut off this stem as well or not and the plant is alive?!.
Thank you for sharing those photos of your mandarin plant. Looking at the current state of the grafted section, I don't think it will recover anymore. It appears that the trunk is already dry and there are no leaves to support photosynthesis.
Let me call on our experienced members @Noelle, @mich1972 and @Adam_W for their opinion on the mandarin plant.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
You're right, @EricL . The grafted mandarin variety is dead. The only growth is from the rootstock, which will not have edible fruits. In my opinion, the entire plant should be removed and a new one planted as what's there is no longer viable.
Yes I agree with Eric and Noelle. Definitely remove the plant.
Thanks @EricL @Noelle @mich1972 for your assessment and advice.
That was unfortunate and sad to know that the plant is not alive. I will remove it and plant a new one.
Would you please suggest a good variety of Mandarin plant to grow at home?
Balaji;
It depends on what part of Australia you live in, but a few good varieties for home gardeners include Imperial, Emperor, Satsuma, Maestro and Honey Murcott. Do a little research online and at your local Bunnings to determine which varieties are available in your location.
After planting, watch carefully for any shoots from below the graft or from the roots, and remove them immediately you see them, to ensure the grafted variety has a good chance of thriving.
Good Morning @balaji27 Imperial and Emperor are the most common and popular varieties of Mandarins to grow at home and also what we buy at the Supermarkets. Next time you are in your local Bunnings Store have a look at the Citrus trees available, Imperial, Emperor, also there are other varieties. Have a chat to the Greenlife Team to show you 🌿🙂
Thanks @Noelle @mich1972 for the guidance, much appreciated.
