Okay, I'll jump in Most of our local commercial tree growers here (and we've got a lot of them), use this as method of choice to control CLM. Since it's been a very warm winter for all of us in citrus states, I suspect we'll see CLM activity this spring as well as in the late summer/early fall. Yes, mixing Neem and Spinosad works very well, IF you use it! I did not spray this summer and I'm suffering the consequences. I'm waiting out a cold front and possible rain that will be passing through these next few days, but will be spraying probably on Wednesday or Thursday. You'll need to spray every 3 weeks during flushing times (usually it takes about 3 applications). Be careful that you don't spray if temps are over 85 degrees, or the Neem will fry your new growth. Spray in the evenings, after your bees have gone back to the hive, and you only need to spray the new growth, not the mature, harder growth. It works VERY well if you remember to spray I got got off guard this July, and I really, really got hit hard. By the time I caught it, I had to wait because we had some temps above 85, so my poor young trees really got attacked. I'm going to be much more vigilant this year. If you walk through any of the growers, you'll see they have little to zero damage from CLM. Clausen's uses this method and it works well for them, their young trees are gorgeous.

Durling's uses Merit, which also works, but I prefer not to use it, as almost all my trees are bearing fruit, and I'm just not so sure I want to eat Imidacloprid, even in small amounts. And I have to spray NOW, with fruit ready to pick. So, it will be Spinosad + Neem for me, at least during the spring. Now, all that being said (sorry for being so long-winded), the one benefit about using Bayer (imidacloprid), is there is some research as well as anecdotal evidence at my place, that it also works pretty darned well against slugs and snails. As well as aphids. Which for me is great. These are my other two pests I deal with on a fairly significant level. I do give my trees a blast of water and put out ant bait, but applying a ground drench once is super easy. And since I work full time, and tend about 100 fruiting trees and shrubs, easy is good. So, I'll probably use a combination of Deadline, ant bait, Neem+Spinosad in the spring, then move to Bayer in the summer just as a time-saver.

Earlier in this thread, I posted a link that stated not to fertilize a citrus tree while it is in bloom, as doing so would greatly reduce the crop. Tonight, I was reading the Kern County California Citrus and Subtropical Crops news letter and their news letter says the opposite.

Kern County Citrus and Subtropical Crops news letter states.........."Research has demonstrated that N utilization and metabolism increases during bloom and fruit set and applying most of the N during this period from March through June will continue to be a recommended practice in the San Joaquin Valley."

Choose which information you choose to follow. I think I will follow the Kern County News Letter report. - Millet (335 ABo-)

Sorry, Eric, and yes, that's correct - 6 apps max, but that works out just exactly right for me, anyway. 3 apps in the spring, 3 apps in the summer/fall. And, often in the spring we don't see any CLM. We tend to really get hit in July through Oct.

Patty, probably the reason that you don't see any CLM damage in the spring, is because leaf miners do not attack the tree's first flush. I'm sure glad that Colorado does not have citrus leaf miners. Millet (335 ABo-)

Depends on our heat, Millet. If we get a really prolonged warm period during the spring, we can get CLM. Haven't seen it for the last 2 years, and I am doubtful we'll see it this spring, either, as our spring has been mild. We have kind had the same weather in the winter and spring, very weird. And, sadly, very dry. So, I will carefully watch the weather in June, and if we end up with a serious warming in June, I'm going to start my spraying in June and not July. Since I have so many young trees, I really do have to control for CLM. I don't so much worry about the handful of more mature citrus I have, but for the 30 some young trees that are 3 years old or less, I really have to spray. It was particularly bad last year. Seemed like it lasted for months and months. Which it did All the way through October.

Another up date on fertilizing during citrus fruit set. I came across this information on a very intellectual and respected drip irrigation forum.

......"The target salinity you give for the soil solution extracted by ceramic cups of 3.1 dS/m should not be exceeded, particularly in the upper half of the root zone. Higher values could result in reduced crop yield, particularly if it were present during fruit set."......

The word SALINITY that they are writing about in the above paragraph is primarily from the fertilizer that they would be applying. A 3.1 dS/m is rather high. There seems to be two divergent opinions out there = OK to fertilize, and NOT OK to fertilize. I think the best approaches would be to fertilize a month prior to expected bloom period, and again after fruit set, or perhaps take the middle ground and fertilize at a lower PPM range around 200 PPM??????????? - Millet (330 ABo-)

Tough call, Millet. Especially when you are not dealing with a monoculture, like growers do (rows and rows of the same cultivar). Since I have 40+ different citrus, and they all set blooms at slightly different times, that makes it tough to time fertilizer. And, a PIA. So, I have fertilized this year before bloom, and I will apply again after fruit set (minus lemons, they don't count). I'll see if this makes a difference for me. Thanks for the research!