There is a bit of a running joke at the information counter at Gardenworld of late. We have a strong team of highly experienced Horticulturalists, who are always there, and happy to answer your Gardening questions, and provide advice. But recently, for some customers, we haven’t had to rack the brain, or hit the books as hard as usual.
A couple of times each week, we will have a customer come in with a sample bag of troublesome leaves. The conversation will usually start with the customer saying, “I have a citrus tree…” at which point, those behind the counter will quickly share a glance, and collectively say… “CITRUS LEAF MINER!”
Melbourne has been inundated by CLM this year. A combination of ideal weather conditions caused late growth on the trees. This new growth, combined with some rainy days followed by more warmth, creates the humidity levels through late summer, ideal for incubation of the citrus leaf miner, who lay their eggs in the layers of the newly grown citrus leaves. The emergent larvae then begin feeding on the leaves from the inside, creating discoloured tracks, visible across the tops of the leaves. Absolutely everyone was susceptible to it this year, and we have had no shortage of customers and colleagues having to deal with them this past season.