Home Gardening Tips

If you are growing lemons and grapefruits in your garden then it is very much unlikely that you have never faced one of the most common problems called “Citrus Gall Wasp“. In fact, this problem has spread across the globe within past few years and affecting the lemon and grapefruit trees on a wide scale.

Root cause of the problem is a little female wasp that lays her eggs in a twig or a branch. This laying of eggs causes the gall happening. During the months of August or September, it starts swelling. By the time autumn comes in the problem becomes severe. Complete branch gets affected with acute deformity. If you try to have a closer look, you will observe numerous tiny little holes in the branch. These holes are actually the places where the wasp has virtually escaped.

Citrus Gall Wasp never kills the lemon or grapefruit tree but the damages caused are equally severe .These damages bring the trees in an ugly shape and appearance. If your plants are under repeated attacks of this problem then you must understand that they will be weakened up to great extent. Because of this impact, trees do not remain productive anymore. Moreover, you never planted these trees to witness such a disaster.

Nothing much you can do to save your plants and trees in fact. All you can ensure is to cut the lumps off as soon as you spot them out. You will have to keep a constant watch over the growing plants and remove the affected parts without any further delay.

You must be aware of some basic initial and middle stage symptoms. If the trees start looking suffering and the branches become little more brittle it is less likely that they will bear good fruits. The best solution would be to cut such identified branches hard from back itself. The pruning waste could be disposed better as green waste or composting material.

Lastly, you should never forget fertilizing the tree immediately after cutting their affected branches. This is very much essential to ensure better and improved new growth.