Hello, I’ve inherited a garden with a sick lemon tree. Does anyone know what might be wrong and if it can be saved? The whole tree has had yellowing foliage for a while, and more recently a couple of large branches died. I removed these but now one half of the tree is dead. As you can see there’s lots of old galls. Northern suburbs Melbourne.
by Fun_Lychee_3020
4 Comments
Yeah those galls are intense – are you treating the new ones?
Look for borer holes. We recently lost half our lemon tree because we didn’t realise some borers had gotten in and killed one side off. You can use detergent mixed with water in a spray bottle to force through the holes – ours shot straight out other holes lower in the branches. Devastating. We pruned the whole lot off and made sure to kill any of the borers with the detergent spray and wire. The other side looks ok so far but between the borer issue and the bloody gall wasps I feel like I’m out there every second day stalking the citrus trees.
EDIT to add: look for ‘sawdust’ like little piles on the ground under the tree/on branches to confirm borers.
It’s caused by canker/trunk rot.
This needs a major cut back over winter, i.e down to 1.2-1.5m high. It’s possible even then the main trunk will have a rotten core and so may be a lost cause.
At very least, now spray the whole tree with copper fungicide and possibly some pyrethrum to kill of borers. wait til late winter or after the last frost and remove all the dead limbs/ dead foliage and rotten wood.
You’ll have to paint the tree trunk with water based white wash to prevent sunburnt until new shoots form.
Fertilise it after trimming.
All good advice from other poster’s. Follow the advice to remove & clean up all the dead wood & rot if present. If the die back is extensive consider using a tree wound paint to seal the fresh cuts & prevent further infections.
Work on the soil, add some compost & a little trace elements along with fertiliser to boost overall tree health.
Tree may recover but also be prepared that even with all this effort the tree may be too far gone & may die. That said its still worth having a go, some of the older tree varieties are very good producers.
Good advice from all other poster’s.
Good luck, hope the tree comes back for you.