Please report if the neem works. Another possible remedy is Dipel, Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner strain (“Bt”). I think it may also be marketed as Thuricide. I prefer the dry granular because it will keep a very long time in the fridge or cool, dark spot. Unlike most other insecticides, it takes very little to stop the pest IF it is one of the vulnerable species. Bt is effective on many types of caterpillars. Apply during weak sun for best results and thorough coverage is important.
I’ve seem grape berry moth larvae get inside Physalis fruits.
Slightly OT, but do you (or anyone else here) have any experience canning the Meyer lemon juice?
We’re going to give that a try this year and I’d be interested in hearing of anyone else’s trials. We would look forward to having this available in the summertime, and have more shelf space than freezer space.
Oh, the shrub is definately of interest. I’ll look into that - thanks!
My thought about canning the juice is there will be some degradation of flavor, but we’ve canned other juices (grape and apple, primarily), and found having a means of preserving it was worth the trade-off. Hoping for the same with the lemons - would love to have lemonade or sorbet when the Meyers aren’t in season.
I just froze the juice (in ice cube trays, quart containers and also in sealed bags), and gave a lot away, too. I made a bunch of preserved Meyer lemons, too. I wouldn’t know how to can the juice thinking that heating the juice to seal it may take away from the flavor. Best of luck finding a method!
I’ve not tried canning Meyer Juice. I do juice syrup, frozen juice cubes, zest, and lots of preserved lemons, “jamalade”, frozen curd and panacotta. Have you tried the jam and preserves thread?
The ones I’ve had success with are all from Yarden (aka citrus.com - they had a recent name change). The tree that just blooms but no fruit yet is from Gurney. Had a coupon for Gurney and tried a few seeds from them. They had an inexpensive baby Meyer lemon tree so I gave it a shot. Not sure if the issue is the stock, because it was much younger (this thing was a mere twig with two roots when it arrived), or my skills - or a combo. The little trees from Yarden were more mature. They are much pricier, but I’ve had great service from them when had a delivery issue. All of them flowered and had fruit, even limited quantities, within a year.
Unfortunately, I can’t get Bt here. Been looking for it.
I used neem combined with bio magic (contains spores of Metarhizium anisopliae).
I get some control.
I’ve had mixed results with Gurney, but enough negative ones that I won’t order from them any more. I stopped probably 10-12 years ago.
No idea if that has anything to do with your Meyer issue, but I wanted to share my experience, in case it’s somehow helpful.
Same here. I generally avoid Gurney’s after unsatisfactory experiences.
For those of you wondering if a mail order company has a good or bad reputation, you can look them up on Dave’s Garden Watchdog, and read customer reviews. I’ve avoided ordering from some companies after reading strings of negative reviews. It probably saved me money and headaches!
Dave’s Garden Watchdog is a resource I hope I never have to do without- I’ve been using it for years and years and I think it’s saved me a ton of money over the years.
I’ve just decided no more from Gurney too. They’re ok at best. The original plant was so small, it is unlikely a grafted plant. From Yarden/Citrus.com, those are most definitely grafted. I haven’t received the new tree yet, but so the other trees from them were clearly grafted.
Here’s this season’s main Meyer lemon pick, from one of two trees in a heated greenhouse. This is the third winter we’ve had this particular tree (the other is a year younger and not yet producing much).
I have started a shrub, and will bake a lemon cake. The rest are being sqeezed at the moment, and I’ll water-bath can the juice to see how we like it.
Received my new little tree today! It’s about 14-15" tall, from bottom of the pot to top of plant. I bought a new airpot for this, which hasn’t come yet, but given the planet is shorter than my other dwarf trees, it might get repotted in a regular old pot for now.
Very excited for spring to get this little lady out into the fresh air!
BTW, anyone have experiences with airpots? This is my first purchase. I have grow bags, but don’t love the sagginess of some of the bags; this is what made the airpot more attractive, its firmer plastic walls.
Most commonly-grown citrus do terrible if not grafted onto a sturdier rootstock. Rootstocks like Poncirus trifoliata “Flying Dragon” are rugged and resist rots which can attack other citrus in cool-cold soil.
Congrats, Kobuta, on the new, healthy-looking tree!
One exception would be my Mexican limes that are actually Mexican limes. I planted a bunch of seeds I saved from limes I got in Puerto Penasco, Mexico about 35 years ago, several sprouted, and four made it to maturity, although one was in the ground when we moved so we left it and the buyer let the tree die. Currently two are in the ground at the current house and one is still in a pot, they all bear heavily.
The little trees from Yarden were more mature. They are much pricier, but I’ve had great service from them when had a delivery issue. All of them flowered and had fruit, even limited quantities, within a year.
