Please help me save this tree but be warned look at your own risk.


You can only see the damage well when you click on it and it covers most of the tree.

It looks like you might have scale on your citrus tree. The picture by Q-2 / A-2 on the link below is a picture of scale which looks about like what I can see on the leaves of your plant (pic's a little fuzzy, though, so I'm not sure), and it would explain the black.

http://groups.ucanr.org/mgfresno/Garden_Questions/January.htm

I might be wrong, though, since up in NH the only citrus plants I see are indoors for most of the year....

Cat

Yes, it is (seems) a very hard attack of scales. Run and buy the treatment you can find in any garden shop.

Cat is right it is definitely scale-- use either soap or horticultural oil spray. You may need to repeat in a few weeks.

Thanks everyone! I found the tree like this not to long ago but I guess my new neighbors don't care about the trees on their property, but luckily this ones bordering our yards so I can take care of it .

Edit: The scale was out of control because there were lots of ants

Get rid of the Ants by a glue ribbon band, which hold back ants to climb up the tree.
Control the scales and get rid of the sooty mold..... Sooty mold does not harm the tree, because it grows on the surface of scale poo....
So wash down scale poo and wash also the sooty mold away...
and control that horrible scale infection, as soon a possible, and fight as hard as you can!