It goes without saying that citrus greening is probably the most dreaded citrus disease infection to date -- even worse than canker.

It is a bacteria infection called Huanglongbing (HLB), that is spread by the tiny Asian citrus psyllid insect and others. Once a tree is infected, the bacteria goes systemic and slowly kills the tree.

"Huanglongbing" translates to "Yellow Dragon Disease". There has been no recognized successful treatment or cure -- until now:   maybe.

We're not the experts on this, but it is so important to us that we've made great effort to research the latest reports from all the experts we can find. This is the condensed version of what we've learned.

Gnat-sized Asian citrus psyllids are often found first
on new growth in the interior of the tree.

These leaves show the classic
blotchy mottle symptom of citrus greening.

How Huanglongbing Kills

Nutrients are delivered from the roots of a plant to the tips of the leaves through a vascular-like system of "pipes" we call phloems.   The Huanglongbing bacteria (HLB) makes deposits in and constricts and clogs the phloems, much like the symptoms of cardiovascular disease in humans.

The bacteria slowly kills the tree by cutting off the delivery of nutrients to the cells.  The resulting symptoms can often be mistaken for nutrient deficiencies, but one major difference is that common deficiency symptoms usually appear symmetrically, while deficiencies caused by Greening Disease present asymmetrically.   The most obvious symptom is the presentation of stunted, green fruit, even after ripening.

Read more about symptoms on the UF/IFAS website here;  and on the USDA website here.

Research shows that trace minerals open up those phloems, clearing the passageways, and restoring the system of nutrient delivery to the plant.

This is huge, let me repeat:

Trace minerals facilitate and enhance the delivery of nutrients from one part of the plant to the next.

This is the main issue of how greening disease kills the citrus tree:  it  restricts the transport of nutrients.

And there are other things that improve a plant's immune system too.

Earthworms create and deposit positive bacteria and enzymes in the soil that the plant uses (read "digests") to build a strong immune system.

So earthworms don't just make good soil: they put nutrients into the soil that the plant uses specifically to resist disease.

No earthworms means none of those nutrients are being produced. And synthetic chemical fertilizers and sprays kill the earthworms -- just sayin'.

Current citrus research trials using organic nutrients that include trace minerals delivered through foliar spraying is showing quite promising results in the fight to both prevent citrus greening and to restore health to infected trees.

It is too soon to tell if the bacteria can be irradicated from infected trees, or if it can, the information is either not readily available at this time or is inconclusive. These are developments that are just coming to light from trials conducted over the past 3-4 years.

Foliar delivery results in much faster absorption for trees in distress than granular, dry ingredients. But the granular, dry ingredients are an excellent choice for preventive maintenance, are less expensive and less time consuming to apply as well.

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classic blotchy mottle symptoms of greening

But there are now several sources of pre-mixed foliar nutritional support formulas that are emerging on the web.   Some are secretive about their "proprietary ingredients", but a common denominator seems to be the trace minerals component, sometimes called "micro-nutrients". Some have humic acid added to encourage root development. These are discussed further below.

As many of you know, we're organic fanatics so you'll not find us recommending toxic chemicals: not as insect sprays and not as granular fertilizers either.   

That said:   We've found several organic products that work well on citrus, worthy of mention here.

TX Red Cedar oil

Our Texas Red Cedar oil blend pictured here has become our ultimate go-to for everything because it is the most broad-spectrum for killing fungi.  

It is also efficient for use in the dirt to kill both bugs and fungi before they start on the plants.  It doesn't just repel mosquitoes for example, it actually destroys the insect in all stages of its life.

The only drawback is this is not available in stores:  you must order it ahead of your need.

Organocide 3-in-1

We have been known to use plenty of Organocide 3-in-1 at the first sign of insects or fungi  (before we got hooked on the cedar oil).   It is a broad spectrum product that catches more issues than Neem, so it should be a first "go-to" when aphids appear in the spring.   Neem is a fine product for what it does, we just like the broad spectrum appeal of Organocide 3-in-1.    And it can be found quickly in a local store.

Organocide is a petroleum free blend of 93% edible fish oil, 5% sesame oil (the active ingredient) and 2% lecithin. It will not harm the bees or other beneficial insects.  It can easily be found in garden centers: look for the economy sized concentrate form.

Read more about Organocide here.

Well fed plants resist insects and disease way better than plants that are marginally neglected, especially when growing in Florida's sand.

Brand of greensand isn't critical.

We routinely use dry, granular soil amendments for plant food -- every month  from February to October. Citrus get an additional feeding the first week of January as well.  Every month for the first year at least,  every 2 months is ok for maintenance once your tree is well-established.

Certain trees are hungry feeders and will continue to need food every month:  cherries, apples and bananas fall into this class.

The key ingredient for trace minerals in this recipe is Greensand. Sign up for our newsletter at the top of the website to receive the free recipe. 

Greensand for Trace Minerals

Greensand is glauconite rock from ancient sea bed deposits that is ground to a fine powder and contains about 70+ trace minerals.

It is currently mined in TX & MO and shipped all over the US.   It comes in 40lb bags @ $40 --- contact us for pickup or delivery if you're within our +/-200 mile delivery zone. We find it to be very effective as a broad spectrum source of trace minerals.

Azomite™

Azomite™ is a kind of volcanic rock that is also powdered and contains approximately 70 trace minerals.  It refers to a specific mineral deposit of volcanic ash and marine minerals found and mined in Utah.

It is a pink ore found in Salt Lake City in 1942, and identified as an aluminosilicate mixed with an abundance of minerals and rare earth elements that "appeared to contain all the essential minerals and trace elements in a balanced ratio and naturally chelated."

Azomite™   may prove to be a more interesting choice for tropical plants like pineapples, such as would be found growing in the volcanic soils of Hawaii! It can be substituted for greensand in a pinch.   Greensand has the added value of being a soil conditioner.  Read more here.

Kelp Powder

Kelp Powder is derived from seaweed and is fairly easy to find in feed stores. Not sure how many trace minerals are in the kelp, but it is at least a  good temporary substitute in the absence of the other choices.

The fastest way to deliver nutrition to a plant is in liquid form. Liquid foliar sprays are the first line of treatment when you have a plant that is suffering from nutrient deficiencies.

We have used Alaska® Fish Fertilizer for years, added to our favorite beer and Epsom salt formula for tropical plants like palm trees.  The beer formula provides a few essential trace minerals that green palm trees up quickly.

We've recently discovered Alaska® Pure Kelp Plant Food (liquid kelp concentrate) for more trace minerals than the beer / ammonia formula, and now combine this with the Alaska Fish Fertilizer and Epsom salts -- it's a bit faster to prepare, though maybe not as entertaining.

So we mix these 3 things:
(in a hose end sprayer)
liquid fish, liquid kelp & Epsom salts.

Ratios:
2T Alaska Fish, 2T Liquid Kelp per gallon of water, and 2T of Epsom salts .   This translates to about 1/4 cup of each ingredient in a typical qt sized hose end sprayer, then fill with water.

Apply the liquid formula every week,   three times a week if a plant is in trouble.

Epsom salts may be easier to apply separately:  
1/2 cup of Epsom salts per 2' of plant height, up to 2 cups total.   Apply the Epsom salts about every 3-4 months.

A key factor for home owners to remember is that to control or irradicate this disease, diseased citrus MUST be dealt with expediently.   We must not ignore sick trees as they harbor the bacteria which psyllids then spread: we all have to work together towards resolution if we expect to win.

Growers on the front lines of this battle tell us that psyllids often attack the leaves at the extremities of the citrus tree first. The bacteria then enters the tree and slowly works its way into the core of the tree and eventually the roots.

These same growers, when they find an obviously diseased tree, prune it heavily removing all affected tissue in an effort to get ahead of the disease and save the tree.

Most of the websites I see regarding greening are still advocating removal of sick trees and say "there is no cure".

Well, the jury is still out on that one.   Meantime, either remove a diseased tree or aggressively treat it: but don't ignore it.