Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants

See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

rate this answer

Not Yet Rated

Monday - January 13, 2014

From: Mesa, AZ
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Diseases and Disorders, Trees
Title: Problems with non-native citrus trees from Mesa AZ
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

We have one valencia orange tree and one naval orange tree in our Mesa, AZ yard. Just noticed some oranges on both trees have a 1/4 inch diameter hole through the skin and the orange fruit and skin around the hole appears to be rotting. Looking in the hole usual reveals some type of larvae wiggling around. What is causing this and how do we prevent any further loss?

ANSWER:

Please see this previous Mr. Smarty Plants answer on citrus to tell you why we probably cannot help you.

From another previous answer:

"We found an excellent site on dealing with problems with the navel orange trees. We tried to find one from Arizona but couldn't, so you'll have to accept this Texas Cooperative Extension site, instead. Then, if you're really dedicated to finding a solution, go to this site, "Diagnosing common citrus problems", from the University of Arizona Extension Program, and see what you can find that fits your situation."

For questions on non-native citrus, especially regarding diseases and pests, we suggest you contact the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office for Maricopa County.