On September 1st, I bought a tangerine tree at the market quite cheaply, but when I brought it home, I literally saw that I had bought an anthill.
I tried treating it in many ways (nothing fancy, with soapy water etc.), but on September 14th I decided it needed to be repotted and the roots cleaned after the ants went on an expedition through my entire apartment. That same day I spent 8 hours cleaning every leaf and twig from scales with cotton swabs.
On September 16th I saw that the scales were still there and treated them with horticultural oil, covering the soil in advance, and leaving it on the tree for 2 days, after which I washed the tree in the shower.
Voila, the ant and scales were gone. But with that, the tree began to shed leaves heavily and the branches began to dry out.
Now it is almost completely bald and I am afraid that it will not recover. What can I do to save it?
Just to mention: I replanted it into soil for citrus plants and I water it so that the soil remains moist (every 5 days or so). I also keep it under full spectrum light, open the window behind it every day, and spray it 3 times a day with filtered water.
by Vyngale