AusBonsai

I have 2 Spanish Dwarf Pomegranates which I purchased about a year ago as general nursery stock.
After a chop and repot, they initially regrew quickly, but coming into Winter, I noticed the new leaves were curling. I thought it might have been a reaction to temperature changes, but the curling and twisting of the newer leaves has gotten worse, and now that it is consistently warm, I am as to what has caused this.
They have not been near each other, but have the same aspect in the garden. I have never seen pests on them, but have included a photo of one silk pouch I found. The closeups show some leaf browning, but most leaves are fully green. They are in with my other plants, none of which show any of these symptoms. They are potted into an open mix with 25% organic matter.
After I took these photos, I chopped off all affected leaves, and was careful to keep my equipment clean in case this is viral/fungal.
Any help appreciated!

Looks like thrip damage, unroll the leaves and have a look at the undersides, you will probably need a magnifing glass as they are only about two mm long.
A dose of Confidor should fix them but the leaves always remain distorted.

Scaddo

Thanks for the suggestion, scaddid. I have seen thrips on some of my other plants, so know what to look for. Haven't seen them on the Pomegranates though.
I will closely examine the next new leaves for a diagnosis before resorting to Confidor.

Looks like leaf curl to me. Pomegranate seems to get leaf curl easily. My one in the ground gets it almost every year.

Hi Longd,
Your post re leaf curl got me searching the net a bit harder. I don't think it is likely to be viral or fungal leaf curl, as the leaves are (mostly) not discoloured.
I did find reference to the Pomegranate Leaf Curl Mite, Aceria granati, and I think this is the most likely culprit.
Removing and carefully disposing of the affected leaves was the right thing to do, and I will watch closely for further damage. I am reluctant to spray if I can avoid it, as it will often knock out the predatory insects too.
More info here- http://bugyou.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/p ... pdate.html
And, a follow up: http://bugyou.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/m ... nates.html

Went away for a week, only to come home to this same problem on one of my dwarf pomegranates!

Will read the links to see what I have to do....

Hope you're getting a good result, Sonya!

Hi Mel,
I gave the pomegranates a hard prune of all new growth, but the new leaves are all curling still!
I am currently researching the best acaricide and how to apply it. Any suggestions would be welcome.

I bought a miticide called Mavrik after talking to Tony about the white spots on my juniper. He recommends it for many other things... I need to do a follow up spray on the juniper, might just crop all the curly leaves off the pom and give it a spray too. Will let you know.

The one that's curling is my entry in the shohin comp....

I thought I would update my experience with Mavrik and my curling leaves on the pomegranates.
I have now sprayed Mavrik 4 times (last time was today) at 3 week intervals. After the first treatment (where I cut back hard), I have been cutting off just the affected leaves as I go. I have used a soaked Q-tip to saturate the buds and nodes, as I gather this is where the mites live before they go forth and multiply.
The Mavrik has definitely helped, and I have some healthy foliage growth, but also newly curling leaves. I suspect Mavrik's inability to penetrate the plant tissues (it is not systemic) is allowing a population of mites to survive between sprayings.
I will try Confidor if today's treatment doesn't cure the trees.
How is yours going Mel, after your dramatic chop?
If anyone can provide me with more information about this mite's lifecycle so I can be more strategic with my spraying, I would be grateful.

Some pics for reference:

Firstly I m not familiar with the species.

Confidor does not kill the twin spot mite....Lime sulphur will kill the mite used at 5 mls to the one litre of water.

If you have an out break you will repeat the treatment in 7 to 10 days time it will knock them for six,above is maintenance in late Autumn and winter.

Tbh Sonya, I put it away and forgot about it.

I just went out and found it, and it's got a lot of new leaves, and only a few affected, so that's a good thing! I sprayed it just the once, then chopped everything off anyway.

anthonyW wrote:Firstly I m not familiar with the species.

Confidor does not kill the twin spot mite....Lime sulphur will kill the mite used at 5 mls to the one litre of water.

If you have an out break you will repeat the treatment in 7 to 10 days time it will knock them for six,above is maintenance in late Autumn and winter.

Hi Anthony,
I was reluctant to use Confidor, as it isn't promoted much as an acaricide. I will try repeating the Mavrik spray in 7 days before I switch products. I figure if I can hit the mites as they hatch, but before they lay eggs, I should get the F*%^@#ers

Mel,
Thanks for chipping in. Your Pomegranate is growing gangbusters, but if my experience is any guide, you'll be getting more curling leaves soon

Yes I can see the new growth definitely has a few curly ones, Sonya.

Have you tried drowning your tree in a tub? It sounds cruel but I've found limited success in doing so.

Whatever floats to the top is the problem and by that time they are dead.

OK, I think I can definitively say that Mavrik does SBA for Pomegranate Leaf Curl Mite (if that is what it is). The last 2 sprays were 8 days apart, and I really saturated them. New growth is back curling madly.
Confidor is the next thing to try, methinks. Will keep you posted.