A few of my citrus tree branches are turning black on the ends, and slowly spreading inward on the branch. These branches were previously pruned; some as recent is a few weeks while others a few months ago. I find this really odd because there are other parts of the tree with new growth (leaves) and even a bunch of flower buds (3 with 1 that opened).
Could be a connection between the pruning and the blackening. Was the pruning implement throughly disinfected before use? What, if any, action have you taken to halt the spread of this stuff---e.g., chemical intervention?
I have not done anything yet. Looking for opinions. The pruners were not sanitized. What should I be sanitizing them with before pruning? Alcohol? Moving forward, what are my options.
Should I sanitize my pruners before each use? And should I prune off the blackened part of the stems?
Yes, your pruners need to be disinfected every time you use them so that you do not transmit disease from one plant to another. You never know which plant can be a healthy appearing carrier of a disease. And yes, prune off the backened stems especially since they are spreading.