About a week ago I was able to plant my citrus trees to kick off this Blog. I wanted to wait a week or so for my first post so that there was something to Blog about. If you are just coming to this Blog... We are creating it so that a story can be told about the growth of a citrus tree. While my intention is to Blog about the growth and happenings for my trees I want to set the stage and present information correctly.
Number One: The environment I am growing these trees is South Florida. Actually right off Lake Okeechobee’s east side. I am fortunate to live on a family farm where I am able to do this test and report effectively.
Number Two: The trees are not planted inthe ground. I have choosen to “step” them into larger containers. This is because I want to be able to move them if needed, and also show the effects of proper citrus tree nutrition. By growing the trees in containers I will be able to show the effects quicker and more directly.
Number Three: What you will find in this Blog is a journal of what is happening to my trees. One tree will be treated as recommended with slow release fertilizer, KeyPlex Citrus HG micronutrient foliar spray, and Bayer Advanced Citrus Control... Among others. The other tree will be watered and cared for, but not to the extent that our “Treated” tree will be.
Getting Started - One Week After Planting
Already. The citrus trees are planted and I already have noticed orange balls on the new growth... See pic 2. After researching a little I found that these orage balls on my citrus tree are butterfly eggs. While they are not hurtfull to large citrus trees they can be detremental to small trees like the ones I have just planted. The recommendation for small citrus trees is to get rid of the eggs by knocking them off to the ground. Furthermore, if you see these orangish colored eggs also look for something that looks like bird poop. Yes. Bird poop. If you notice something that resembles droppings they are the worms coming from the eggs. On small trees you will need to get rid of them as well. Once the citrus tree is established you have nothing to worry about. In fact I hear that some people plant citrus just for the butterflys. While they are beautiful to watch I am wanting to keep my citrus trees alive for right now. I am eradicating them so that we can blog again in another week or so.
For more informationabout these orange dots, bird dropping worms, and the butterflies that lay them view this post below:
