Question
QUESTION: I live in N. W. Florida and have had my tree in the ground since last March.  I bought it with about 6 lemons already on it and I have been picking lemons for over a month now.  The leaves seem to be curling and even look like something is eating them.  I have picked off a few large caterpillars in the summer and I have sprayed the tree with Volk Oil one time.  I use citrus fertalizer every 3-4 months.  There are new buds on the tree now and we have had only light freezes so far.  What do I need to do about the leaves?  Can this tree take a freeze?
Thanks

ANSWER: Dear David, It sounds to me like your lemon tree has aphids on it.  Look on the underside of the leaves to see if you see any small bugs there.  You could also have scale, which would be small hard unmoving bumps on the bottom of leaves or on the stems.  The only other thing that I can think of that would do that would be very dry conditions.  If you have or suspect aphids or other bugs you could spray with a light weight oil (SunSpray is very good) and you could also mix in some NEEM.  If you do have scale or aphids, you will need to spray at least 2 or three time, two weeks apart, being sure to spray up under the leaves where the bugs are.  You will know that the unmoving scale is dead when it falls off the plant with a strong spray of water.  Now as far as the freezing:  No you don't want it to freeze, but there are things you can do to help.  Never prune the tree until after the last frost date, let the tree get overgrown in the winter.  I hope your tree is up close to the house, as it will be much easier to protect.  If not, you may want to move it if possible.  During freezes, water the tree well.  Watering before a freeze can help save many plants.  Also, you can cover the tree with a blanket or light tarps, being sure to remove them when the weather warms up past 40.  Just keep an eye on the weather for freeze warnings and you should be fine.  It is well worth the trouble.  I hope this information helps.  Good luck, Melissa

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: You didn't explain what NEEM is.  Is that a brand name or what?  Also, I bought the Myer's Lemon Tree because I read that it could withstand temperatures down into the mid 20's.  I guess I got some bad information. My tree is not close to the house and it is too big to move now.  I can't even get a blanket over it without two 8 foot step ladders and a helper!

Answer
Dear David, Actually, your last information helps.  If your tree is already that big, then it should be fairly cold hardy.  Wrapping the trunk also helps, and in Florida, I believe that smudge pots are often used and would offer a single tree a lot of protection.  A smudge pot or choofa is an oil burning device to prevent frost on fruit trees.  Your tree probably CAN go down to the mid 20's, but only for short periods of time.  Once when I lived in Galveston, we had a freak freeze of 5 straight days below 20 degrees, so a lot of plants that never froze before did that year.  I would probably get a smudge pot if the temperatures were likely to go that low.  The size of the tree is very helpful against freeze protection; the bigger the tree, the hardier it is.  Also NEEM is an organic substance found in many different brands, and it is perfect for home gardens because it kills insects, mites, and fungus.  A good one is Ferti-Lome Triple Action Plus, but make sure it is the one that says NEEM on the ingredients, as there are two different formulas for it.  You can find it listed in many products.  Sorry I forgot to give you that information.  Melissa