Need help identifying what’s going on with this JM

[19Mateo83]

Anyone have any ideas what’s going on with this poor JM’s leaves? None of my other ones are affected. It gets morning sun then it’s dappled shade the rest of the day. It gets watered when it needs it. It is a grafted tree and it’s still in the nursery can it came in.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

It looks like something's munching them. Beetles(?)

JM leaves can get dry at this time of year, but they don't show physical damage like holes and margins chewed off.

 

[penumbra]

JM leaves tend to get ratty in the summer. That are at their glory in the spring and fall is a bonus.

 

[19Mateo83]

It’s interesting because it’s just this one in a area with 15+ other JM

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Look closely at the damage in the red circles. Is that leaf miner damage?



Have you had this tree all year, or did you just buy it? If you had it all year, it would be unusual for it to be infested while all your other trees are not. But if you just got it from third party, they might have insect pests that you don't have in your garden.

 

[19Mateo83]

@Bonsai Nut i got it from mikes discount growers outlet on old 16 in Denver late April/early May. I did treat it with insecticidal soap twice before I put it with the rest of them. Good eye on the damage. I will inspect it further in the am.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

@Bonsai Nut i got it from mikes discount growers outlet on old 16 in Denver late April/early May. I did treat it with insecticidal soap twice before I put it with the rest of them. Good eye on the damage. I will inspect it further in the am.

If you truly have leaf-miner beetles, if they were still in their larval stage (within the leaf) an application of insecticidal soap would not kill them. Only a systemic would.

In the AM check the tree thoroughly - particularly the underside of the leaves. Is the damage still occurring? Or is it past tense?

Don't feel bad... you should see some of the Japanese beetle damage on some of my maples. I have never seen Japanese beetles like what are here at this rental. At my house I had perhaps four Japanese beetles last year. Here, I had four BUCKETS. We are still killing a handful a day.

 

[19Mateo83]

Any recommendations on a effective systemic?

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

If you truly have leaf-miner beetles, if they were still in their larval stage (within the leaf) an application of insecticidal soap would not kill them. Only a systemic would.

In the AM check the tree thoroughly - particularly the underside of the leaves.

I'll google this but can you elaborate?

 

[Deleted member 32750]

Treat with imidicloprid granular systemic and spray with malathion preventatively

 

[19Mateo83]

I will be visiting lowes tomorrow

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I'll google this but can you elaborate?

Systemic insecticides are taken up by the plant via soil drench (via the roots). It doesn't harm the plant, but harms any insect that eats the plant.

As @Adam D mentioned above, the most popular systemic is imidicloprid, which is chemically similar to nicotine. Its development and use allowed other more toxic insecticides to be taken off the market.

Since the larval stage of leaf-miners reside within a leaf, if you spray the leaf with a contact insecticide (like an insecticidal soap) you won't harm them. However once they pop out of the leaf in their adult form they can be impacted. Note that even though I mentioned leaf-mining beetles, there are a lot of other pest insects that leaf-mine, including moths and flies (though they don't cause the same damage to the leaf as adults).

 

[Firstflush]

Check underneath leaves for caterpillars too. You do have miners though.