"TPG News" bugga writes:
I have recently planted a Tahitian Lime, Eureka Lemon and a Valencia Orange
in the backyard.

I have noticed they are all showing signs of leaf miner - should I be
worried and if so, what should I do? I have heard about Petroleum Oil but
would like to stay organic if at all possible?!

Yes, I believe white oil is *usually* made as an emulsion of petroleum oil
in water. BUT, you can make your own white oil using any edible oil. I have
written here of this previously, so search for "white oil" "John Savage" on
google groups (keep the quote marks in). You will also find links to recipes
provided by other correspondents. No, I haven't mixed any myself. I recall
Don Burke demonstrating it on his tv program, and he used sunflower oil I
seem to recall. I have heard that if you spray regularly (every fortnight all
year), then not only will the white oil regimen solve your miner problem (and
scale problem, too, I expect) but it is reported to also solve most of the
bronze citrus bug menace (except for adult bugs that might fly in from the
neighbour's tree): beetles that hatch on your foliage are adversely affected
by a coating of oil while at the newly hatched stage. I think the caution
when using white oil is to spray late afternoon or the foliage may become
sunburnt, but I am not certain of this so you had better do some homework.
You do have to spray both sides of each leaf on the tree, and to the point
that the spray is about to drip off the leaftip, for white oil to be
effective in suffocating the miner.

Do you have the bronze citrus beetles in Brisbane yet?
--
John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup)