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How to Manage Pests

UC Pest Management Guidelines

| More pests | More crops | About guidelines |

Citrus

Timings for Key Cultural and Management Practices

(Reviewed 9/08, updated 9/08)

In this Guideline:

Approximate times for citrus growing practices in California's Central Valley. Actual times vary according to location weather, crop history, and crop cultivar and development stage. Testing foliage and whitewashing trees generally are done once during the indicated period. Practices such as frost protection, irrigation, and pest monitoring are ongoing or are repeated at appropriate intervals.

CROP DEVELOPMENT PERIOD TIME OF YEAR
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
prebloom X X X X X X                                    
bloom period             X                                  
petal fall               X X X                            
fruit development                     X X X X X X X X            
fall                                     X X X X X  
 
PRACTICE JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
monitor pests regularly1 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
harvest X X X X X X X X X X                       X X X
survey weeds2 X X X X X X         X X X X X X X X            
frost protection X X X X                                 X X X X
monitor soil moisture, irrigate if it is dry X X X X                                     X X
irrigate regularly based on monitoring trees' varying need for water         X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X    
manage ants3         X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X          
fertilize         X X X X X X X X X X X X                
prune         X X X X X X X X X X X X X              
sample leaves for nutrients                               X X X X X        
protect fruit and manage fruit drop and size                                 X X X X X X X X
whitewash trunks                                 X X X X X X X  
1  While pests should be monitored throughout the year, they do not need to be monitored as often during the cooler periods (Oct. to Jan.) as during the rest of the year.
2 Survey weeds four times each year. The most important times are at least once each during late winter and again in summer.
3 When using sweet liquid ant baits, begin monitoring early (about February along the coast, somewhat later in the Central Valley) before any Homopteran honeydew becomes abundant. Competition from abundant honeydew reduces ants' attraction to sweet baits.

PUBLICATION

[UC Peer Reviewed]

UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines: Citrus
UC ANR Publication 3441
General Pesticide Information
E. E. Grafton-Cardwell, Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier
J. G. Morse, Entomology, UC Riverside
N. V. O‘Connell, UC Cooperative Extension, Tulare County
P. A. Phillips, UC IPM Program, UC Cooperative Extension, Ventura County
C. E. Kallsen, UC Cooperative Extension, Kern County
D. R. Haviland, UC Cooperative Extension, Kern County

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Statewide IPM Program, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California
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