Fukien Tea snd scale insects...

[Vinnie Charity]

Well, my little Fukien tea has been attacked by scale, little bastards.

I started plucking them off, then decided to just wrap the pot with Saran Wrap (6” pot) and dunked the tree, head first, into a bucket of water and neem oil in an effort to kill them.

Now, some of the leaves have turned black and every leaf I touched with my tweezers dropped off. It now has only a few leaves left.

Last year it was aphids, this year it’s scale, so frustrating. Any hope for this tree? It’s looks crazy with no leaves, though if I’m able to get it outside soon enough (weather dependent) I know it will grow leaves again. Right now it’s in a south-facing window, under a fluorescent grow light, right next to my other Fukien Tea, that’s perfectly healthy, smh...

 

[Forsoothe!]

The percentage of oil to water was probably too high. I use 1% as a spray and 2% as a soil drench. If you used too high of a percentage and the water was very cold and undisturbed for long enough, the oil can form a relatively dense film on the top of the water. If you then plunge the the canopy through that film you will get an overdose sticking to the surfaces of the leaves. The breathing pores on the underside of the leaves need to stay open to exhaust oxygen and absorb CO2. Next time, spray it on. Everywhere, but lightly.

You can treat for soft bodied critters with a spray of 70% isopropyl alcohol straight out of the bottle. Screw the spray top of an ordinary quart spray bottle on the isopropyl bottle and you're in business. Keep it handy and spray individual bugs as you see them. Don't overdo it. At 5% of fluids it will retard growth, but a mist here and there is fine. I like to nail black flies walking around on the soil surface when I see the glint of light on their wings. If you position yourself just right you can shoot them out of the air when they try to get away!

 

[just.wing.it]

Pest and Fukein Tea.....like Love and Marriage....cant have one without the other.

Al Bundy is That Dude!

 

[Vinnie Charity]

The percentage of oil to water was probably too high. I use 1% as a spray and 2% as a soil drench. If you used too high of a percentage and the water was very cold and undisturbed for long enough, the oil can form a relatively dense film on the top of the water. If you then plunge the the canopy through that film you will get an overdose sticking to the surfaces of the leaves. The breathing pores on the underside of the leaves need to stay open to exhaust oxygen and absorb CO2. Next time, spray it on. Everywhere, but lightly.

You can treat for soft bodied critters with a spray of 70% isopropyl alcohol straight out of the bottle. Screw the spray top of an ordinary quart spray bottle on the isopropyl bottle and you're in business. Keep it handy and spray individual bugs as you see them. Don't overdo it. At 5% of fluids it will retard growth, but a mist here and there is fine. I like to nail black flies walking around on the soil surface when I see the glint of light on their wings. If you position yourself just right you can shoot them out of the air when they try to get away!

I mixed it years ago and keep it stored in a gallon jug, but I mixed it per the directions, I think. I'll check and let you know though.

I usually dunk the trees(s), then strain and pour the mix back into the gallon jug for reuse. I do the same with my soapy water mix.

I was wondering if the oil "stuck" to the leaves and closed them off, I guess I was right, so thanks for bringing that up as well.

What I do is keep the jug on top of my fridge, so it stays slightly warmer than room temperature, then shake up the bottle, then pour it into a small bucket, which is really just an old dishwasher pod container.



This container is the perfect size for my smaller mame and shohin trees, and has served me well for years.

I will look into getting some 70% Isoprophyl Alcohol though, that's a really good idea.

Thanks again for your tips @Forsoothe!
-Vin

 

[sorce]

I fucked up and brought a cutting home the other day.

Been pulling scale off my tropicals because of it.

Just keep smashing them.

I been using a thin green steel wire to scrape them off

Sorce

 

[Vinnie Charity]

Pest and Fukein Tea.....like Love and Marriage....cant have one without the other.

Al Bundy is That Dude!

The funny thing is (well, not "funny"), last year I had aphids like crazy on both Fukien Tea and they popped up a month or so after bringing them in, but not a single scale insect.

This year, not a single aphid, but scale on my favorite Fukien Tea, and none on the other tree.

I spent about an hour removing them from the infected tree and I think I finally got them all, the little camouflaged bastards...

 

[Vinnie Charity]

I fucked up and brought a cutting home the other day.

Been pulling scale off my tropicals because of it.

Just keep smashing them.

I been using a thin green steel wire to scrape them off

Sorce

It's kind of satisfying to smash them, and I really like the idea of using wire to scrape them off.

I've been using my tweezers, which work well, but the wire would likely be a bit easier, so thanks for that idea...

 

[just.wing.it]

The funny thing is (well, not "funny"), last year I had aphids like crazy on both Fukien Tea and they popped up a month or so after bringing them in, but not a single scale insect.

This year, not a single aphid, but scale on my favorite Fukien Tea, but none on the other tree.

I spent about an hour removing them from the infected tree and I think I finally got them all, the little camouflaged bastards...

I have always had good success with about a tablespoon of Neem in a quart of water.

 

[sorce]

wire to scrape them off.

Then burn em!

I don't know how those capsules work, so I figure fire will win regardless.

The friggin floating flipfliop in my fishtank with herb cuttings, mites from the goddamn rosemary. Now the mites are atop The water. They won't burn!

Sorce

 

[Vinnie Charity]

I have always had good success with about a tablespoon of Neem in a quart of water.

That sounds about right, the water looks just a bit cloudy.

I'll mix up another batch in a separate gallon jug and compare the two...

 

[Forsoothe!]

You need to re-think where you summer your trees. The first stages of life for almost all these critters is winged, and/or some just let go of their birthplace and drift in the wind, hopefully to a new home. That means you need to look around for an upwind source that is infecting your trees, either in your yard or a neighbor's. Roses harbor every bug in the world. Euonymus, Prunus, etc., etc., are sources. You should treat your plants a week or so before you bring them inside. Drench the soil for eggs and babies, spray the foliage. I also use Bayer systemic for trees or roses on all non-eatables, and that helps.

 

[Mayank]

Fukiens are always going to be drama queens. They'll drop leaves just because you looked at them weird. Mine has pretended to die multiple times and then come back. When I've washed leaves with a dawn and water sudsy solution due to some bug or the other it'll drop all leaves and freak me out. So far it has come back after careful (not too much and not too less) watering and leaving out of direct sunlight but I'm sure the day could come when it just dies. Oh well. The other thing I just haven't done cause I don't want to poke the bear is that I've not repotted the damn thing for over a decade. Water goes through but slowly and I'm cool with that.

 

[Vinnie Charity]

You need to re-think where you summer your trees. The first stages of life for almost all these critters is winged, and/or some just let go of their birthplace and drift in the wind, hopefully to a new home. That means you need to look around for an upwind source that is infecting your trees, either in your yard or a neighbor's. Roses harbor every bug in the world. Euonymus, Prunus, etc., etc., are sources. You should treat your plants a week or so before you bring them inside. Drench the soil for eggs and babies, spray the foliage. I also use Bayer systemic for trees or roses on all non-eatables, and that helps.

I keep hearing about this Bayer systemic, so now it's time to get some.

I will miss eating the berries off of the trees, but I care more about the trees living.

The mame/shohin trees are on a bench I built that is up against the south end of my house.

Here is a picture of the tree on the bench from last year...



The bench is sitting in my flower bed, on mulch, and the only plants in the ground are a few liriope and a large Azalea, that are off to the right of the bench.



My other 3 benches are in a "C" shape, sitting on a concrete slab, the opening facing the shohin bench, so I can stand there and water all of the trees easily.

Do you think any of these would be the culprits?

Also, I do spray the trees regularly, pests or not and the tree has done fine for most of the winter, the scale just showed up about a month or two ago as I started to notice the sticky stuff on the leaves.

 

[Vinnie Charity]

Fukiens are always going to be drama queens. They'll drop leaves just because you looked at them weird. Mine has pretended to die multiple times and then come back. When I've washed leaves with a dawn and water sudsy solution due to some bug or the other it'll drop all leaves and freak me out. So far it has come back after careful (not too much and not too less) watering and leaving out of direct sunlight but I'm sure the day could come when it just dies. Oh well. The other thing I just haven't done cause I don't want to poke the bear is that I've not repotted the damn thing for over a decade. Water goes through but slowly and I'm cool with that.

Yep, they can be grumpy, that's for sure. I don't fertilize them in the winter so I wonder if that has something to do with it?

 

[Mayank]

Yep, they can be grumpy, that's for sure. I don't fertilize them in the winter so I wonder if that has something to do with it?

I've never fertilized anything (indoors or out) in winter....

 

[Anthony]

Zone 8/9 - Not Tropical
Rest period - November to February

Insects / pests only attack sick / weak plants.
It is their job.

No rest, no health - see if death occurs in 4 to 6 years.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Vinnie Charity]

Zone 8/9 - Not Tropical
Rest period - November to February

Insects / pests only attack sick / weak plants.
It is their job.

No rest, no health - see if death occurs in 4 to 6 years.
Good Day
Anthony

I'll be repotting the tree into a mix of akadama, pumice, and lava this summer, if the tree survives.

It was initially potted into Hoffman's mix and I'm not a huge fan of that stuff, but I was all I had at the time.

Hopefully, this will assist the tree in becoming more healthy.

 

[Vinnie Charity]

I've never fertilized anything (indoors or out) in winter....

I used to apply fish and kelp emulsion once a month to the tropicals but I didn't do that this winter...

 

[Forsoothe!]

Fukiens are always going to be drama queens. They'll drop leaves just because you looked at them weird. Mine has pretended to die multiple times and then come back. When I've washed leaves with a dawn and water sudsy solution due to some bug or the other it'll drop all leaves and freak me out. So far it has come back after careful (not too much and not too less) watering and leaving out of direct sunlight but I'm sure the day could come when it just dies. Oh well. The other thing I just haven't done cause I don't want to poke the bear is that I've not repotted the damn thing for over a decade. Water goes through but slowly and I'm cool with that.

I concur with all your observations, but, you gotta repot before it suddenly drops dead.

 

[sorce]

You know why I'd reconsider a systemic?

Cuz when you're trapped, say in a flood or something, and you have to eat your trees to stay alive......

You can only make that decision now!

Sorce