By now, you have probably heard of a lethal disease called citrus greening that devastated Florida’s citrus industry and is now on the march in California.
While most of the news concerns California’s $2.5 billion citrus industry, what about beloved trees in family yards? Some of these have been passed down through generations and date to the 1800s.
As of 2016, there were between 10 and 20 million residential citrus trees in California. In fact, more than 60% of homeowners in the state have at least one citrus tree in their yard.
Citrus greening has yet to infect commercial groves. As of late May 2019, it has only been found on residential properties.
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The state of California is working vigorously to keep the disease out of commercial groves.
Even a 20% reduction in the amount of land that citrus is grown on in California would result in 7,350 lost jobs and a half billion dollar reduction in the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The fate of your trees will likely depend on what part of California you live in. We at Gardener’s Path will tell you what to expect as your trees face this imminent threat, with steps that can be taken to prevent its spread.
Here’s what’s to come in this article:
A Two-Pronged Attack
As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. The threat from citrus greening comes from the combination of a foreign insect that infests citrus trees, and the bacteria it can carry that cause the disease.
Neither of these organisms can hurt pets or people. They are only a threat to citrus.
First comes the insect – an aphid-sized pest known as the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) that
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