Scale Insects

/Scale Insects/

Scale Insects

This appears to be sap sucking scale insects. This plant pest does not usually cause major problems to plant health unless their population is very large. However, if you don't control them, and the conditions are right for their reproduction, they can get out of control. Keep your plant healthy and it will be better able to withstand the feeding these pests do. Control for scales varies by species or type of scale. We've included web links for your reference in controlling these pests. You can also give the plant(s) a shower, literally, to clean off the pests, and any sticky "honeydew" exudate (sucking insect excrement), and the black sooty mold that grows in this honeydew. Keep an eye out and continue to remove new developing pests. Otherwise, if the population numbers are high you can use pesticidal products, but they may not be very effective on the adult (covered) stage of the scale (they will work on the younger crawler stage if applied correctly). We recommend you use horticultural oils as a suffocant or pesticidal soaps whenever possible. Make sure you apply these products early in the morning (not in the hot part of the day) and the plant should be in moist soil or watered before applying the oil to avoid burning the plant tissues.

By | 2016-01-06T02:18:04-08:00 January 6th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Weak Aloe

Maine is a tough place to grow an aloe to start! It is difficult to say what's at the bottom of its declining condition but here's some recommendations. I know its a very short season by you but take advantage of what you can. As long as your night temps stay above 45 degrees, move it outside into full sun. when you repot it, you will likely not see many roots. Use a smaller pot so you don't have such a large soil volume to root ratio. Too much wet soil for not enough roots is a disaster waiting to happen. Don't use sand in your mix, it will be too heavy. You can use your standard potting soil but add 1/3 to 1/2 of the volume of Perlite to open up the mix and make it drain faster. When you water, water well and don't water again until the soil has become dry down a couple of inches. One more thought - if you find that when you unpot it the roots are all collapsed and rotted, that's definitely the problem. At this point cut the head off of the bad stem where it shows healthy tissue. let the top part callus over for about 7 days and then plant it up in fresh soil mix - Do not water. Leave it another 7 days and it should have started to initiate new roots at this point and can now be watered.

By | 2016-01-06T02:06:18-08:00 January 6th, 2016|Succulents|0 Comments
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Lawn Problem

Lawn problems, especially diseases, are very hard to diagnose from a photo. You might want to take a sample of the turf to your local nursery for positive id. It may not even be a disease. How often does the area get watered? Is the problem just in one spot (I'm a little suspect that this happening right next to the hose connection and in a narrow area--water issue too much or too little) ? Are sprinklers covering the lawn evenly? Are there any signs of insects in the soil on the edge of damaged areas (sometimes you can bring them to the surface by drenching the area with soapy water) ? As you can see, there are many things that could be happening. You may have to renovate the area. add organic matter and replant but first you need to be sure of whats happening.
Keep in mind, lawn fungicides must be used repeated (often every two weeks) to be effective. Also, most lawn diseases are a result of poor cultural practices, but with a lot rain, its tough.
Sorry we aren't of more help. This may help: http://archive.agric.wa.gov.au/PC_92845.html?s=1001

By | 2016-01-06T00:46:26-08:00 January 6th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Rose Problems

You have a couple of problems here. The leaf damage is done by the rose slug bud worm. This larvae (tiny green worm) eats on the underside of the leaves leaving the top tissue in place. It is active from early June into about the third week of June in the northeast. The pest is probably gone now but make a note to spray the underside of all of your rose bushes with a product containing Spinosad next year in the first week of June. One application should be enough but you can always reapply in the third week of June if you see new damage.

Rose flowers that look like this have usually been hit with too much water/irrigation. It's a fungal condition but the fungus (most likely botrytis) happens in cool and damp conditions. Are your roses being watered with a sprinkling system that comes on more frequently than once every four or five days? Are you watering at night or really early in the morning? Or are you hand-watering by spraying the plant and not the soil? Apply an organic fungicide such as copper, sulfur or one of the bacterial products like Serenade or Actinovate. (Use according to directions) and alter watering appropriately. Water deeply less often.

By | 2016-01-05T19:22:20-08:00 January 5th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Spider Mites

Spider mites usually congregate on the undersides of the leaves, and if the infestation is severe enough, youäó»ll see the webbing there. Another test is to hold a piece of white paper under a branch and shake it. If you see any tiny specks fall on the paper, and after a few seconds the tiny specks begin moving, those are mites. Symptoms of damage include flecking, discoloration (bronzing) and scorching of leaves. Injury can lead to leaf color loss and even plant death. Natural enemies include small lady beetles, predatory mites, minute pirate bugs, big-eyed bugs and predatory thrips. Spider mites are barely visible to the naked eye, and are difficult to control. Insecticidal soap can help, especially if the problem is caught early and the leaves, both sides, are sprayed well or spray with a strong stream of water. Or look for another product with "spider mites" listed on the label and make sure it is safe for strawberries. A straight insecticide will be ineffective because spider mites are arachnids, not insects, but there are organic controls such as Natria Insect, Disease and Mite Control.

By | 2016-01-05T18:09:44-08:00 January 5th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Camellia Leaf Browning

Its hard to say as there could be more than one issue here, and more than one cause. Camellias like moist soil, but can easily be over watered in CA soils (especially if you have heavy clay soil). If fertilizer has been applied recently, it could be a nutrient toxicity (or salt burn. Fertilizers are salts and if applied in excess or not watered into the soil sufficiently for dissolving there could be a build-up of salts around the roots). We also notice there's water on the leaves, which can spread disease, especially if the plant canopy is dense and air circulation is poor. We recommend not watering over-head and pruning if necessary to increase air movement in and around the plant canopy. Could also be poor drainage of water away from the roots, which can cause root rot issues, and consequently poor nutrient uptake. If fertilizer has not been applied, you may consider asking your local garden center for an appropriate fertilizer. Camellia's like an acidic soil pH (which can also cause nutrient issues if the pH is too high - which is typical in CA soils). Here's some info from UC that may help: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/camellia.html

By | 2016-01-05T17:59:56-08:00 January 5th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Barbados Nut Plant

This appears to be Jatropha curcas and is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, that is native to the American tropics, most likely Mexico and Central America. it produces coral-red flowers during the warm season. Give it full sun or part shade (more light makes more flowers) and well-drained soil. Can be grown as a dramatic, longlived houseplant where it is not hardy. Provide a brightly lit location and water when the top of the soil feels just dry. Fertilize monthly and repot annually until it is as large as you want. Then root prune every 3 years and repot into the same container with fresh soil. It is in the Euphorbia family which is composed with species of varying toxicity. Although there are some sources that recommend this plant for medicinal properties we cannot recommend this plant be ingested or used in any medicinal way. Some people are more sensitive than others to the the white milky sap. Can cause severe rash and may injure eyes. Always seek professional medical advice before attempting to use plants for therapeutic value.

By | 2016-01-05T16:33:51-08:00 January 5th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Beetle Grubs In Soil

These are grubs could be from one of the beetles such as the Japanese beetle or garden beetle or a species of weevil. When disturbed, they tend to curl up. Although they eat roots, there are always some amount of grubs in a garden and plants aren't severely effected unless the population is huge or the plants' root systems are reduced because of drought or improper irrigation. Many extension services use the following guidelines for treating grubs in a lawn: you dig a piece of the turf one foot by one foot and roll up the grass, counting the grubs that are revealed when you do so. If there are more than 10 grubs per square foot you would want to treat with a grub killing product used according to the directions. Most gardeners don't worry about grubs, and just toss them into the road or onto the bird feeder when they are reveled when we dig. There are many animals that eat grubs including birds, skunks and moles, so Mother Nature often brings things into balance that way. In a previous identification, we also suggested you saturated the area with water and many of the grubs will surface so that you can easily pick them up and dispose of them.

By | 2016-01-05T15:57:27-08:00 January 5th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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End Rot

This looks like end rot, a condition that can affect peppers and tomatoes. It used to be thought that this was due to low calcium levels in the soil, but recent research shows that this is likely not the case. The current thinking is that this is caused by stress to the plant from irregular or improper irrigation. Fluctuations in irrigation, going very dry and then being really soaked; shallow watering; or too much water can all lead to end rot. Root disturbance from tilling next to the plants can also be a factor.

The best thing to do is water deeply less often - don't hand water because people get bored long before the ground is soaked deeply. Using a sprinkler or soaker hose, leave the water on for as long as it takes to soak the ground down 12 to 18 inches. Dig down with a shovel or trowel to test how moist the soil is 18" down. Irrigate for as long as this soaking takes every 5 to 7 days depending on temperature. Don't splash foliage or peppers with water in between. If your garden is mulched you should be able to water deeply every 6 to 7 days and have that be enough. If you soak the soil deeply the roots will grow deep and can stand going that long with out irrigation. Read more about this here: http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C938

By | 2016-01-05T12:29:05-08:00 January 5th, 2016|Vegetable Plants|0 Comments
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Septoria Leaf Spot

This appears to be Septoria leaf spot. (It is difficult to see if those are, in fact, little black spots on the leaves???). But leaf spot flourishes in damp or humid air and frequently splashing the foliage with water will encourage this fungus to get established. We see it in many gardens this year, mostly on peppers and tomatoes. First, remove all the affected leaves and place in the trash not the compost pile. Next year rotate your tomatoes because the fungus will over winter in the garden for a season and would affect next years crop. This is specific to tomatoes not cucumber or the like. Good air circulation is very important when planting. Sterilize all your garden equipment that comes in contact with the tomatoes so it doesn't spread. Mulch your tomatoes if you haven't already. It keeps the spores from splashing on the ground and spreading the disease. If the above measures do not control the disease, you may want to use fungicidal sprays. Fungicides will not cure infected leaves, but they will protect new leaves from becoming infected. Go to your local garden center for recommendations about an organic fungicide that's labeled for septoria leaf spot. Apply at 7 to 10 day intervals throughout the season according to directions. Follow harvest restrictions listed on the pesticide label. When spraying the plants, make sure you spray the undersides of the leaf as well.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:29-07:00 January 5th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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