Q. Please help me to
recover my tangerine tree leaves curling inwards. Most have very small black
spots on them. l observed the leaves and don`t see any insects. l do deep hose
watering during hot summer days.
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| Picture of tangerine leaves curling and dropping |
A. There are lots of
reasons for citrus leaves curling. This problem is near legendary for citrus
leaves but the reason is usually environmental and not from insects or disease.
I’m not saying it can’t happen but it’s less likely.
Cold weather
Since this question was sent to me at the end of winter,
cold weather comes to mind. Cold temperatures can cause leaves to roll. Some
say cold weather can cause leaf spotting as well. If leaf rolling was during
the summer, guess what? High temperatures can also cause citrus leaves to roll.
Watering
Moisture stress can cause leaf roll and leaf drop. When
timing irrigations, make sure the soil is no longer wet when the irrigation
water is applied. In the same token, make sure the soil does not get too dry
between irrigations. Dry and wet soils can cause leaf rolling.
What’s more important, in my opinion, is overall tree
health. Plants in poor health are more susceptible to problems than those that
are healthy.
Soil problems
In the picture you sent, I noticed the condition of the
soil surrounding these trees. The soil looked pretty bad, even by Las Vegas
standards. Poor soil conditions leads to poor plant health in the future.
Good soil health begins at the time of planting. I
realize your tree has already been planted but soil improvement surrounding the
roots at the time of planting is a huge future investment in plant health for
years to come. In the future, excavate the planting hole 3 to 4 feet in
diameter and 18 inches deep at the center. Mix good compost with your excavated
soil at a rate of about 1:1; for every shovelful of soil, mix one shovelful of
compost.
What to do?
What can you do now? Put a half bag of compost on the
soil surrounding the tree. On top of this, put a 4 to 6 inch layer of woodchips
and water it in. Woodchips, where irrigation water is present, improves the
soil health where most of the feeder roots of your tree are living.
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| Spreading good quality compost at the base of trees for its fertilizer content |
Improving the soil improves water, fertilizer and
nutrient uptake by these roots which in turn improves the overall health of the
tree. Soil improvement using this method helps remove some irrigation problems
that could be causing leaf rolling. Overall, this means fewer problems for your
citrus in the future.
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| Community mulch pile at the University Orchard North Las Vegas |
Get these woodchips free by visiting Cooperative
Extension locations south of the airport or in North Las Vegas at the
University Orchard in the Aliante community. For more information about these free
woodchips call the extension hotline at 702 – 257 – 5555.
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