Black spots on weeping fig

16 years ago

I have a weeping fig near a sunny window inside my house. It just stopped dropping leaves :-) but now it has these brown lumps on the stems. They are pretty widespread but don't seem to be causing too much harm. They look like little bugs or snails.

How do I get rid of them. If I scrape all of them off are they likely to return. Do I have to use a pesticide?

I also posted this message in the gallery with a picture

Thanks for your help!

Kara

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Comments (4)

mr_subjunctive
16 years ago
I believe you have scale. It's the one major indoor pest that I don't have any direct experience with, though, so someone else will have to advise.
birdsnblooms
16 years ago
Arak, I checked your pic in the gallery, and your Ficus definatly has scale..
The one scale is a big guy, so it's been keeping busy sucking away at your plant.
You can start by scraping off as many as possible..if your Ficus is infested, you'll need to spray an insecticide to rid this bug, ASAP..
I use Fish Emulsion to prevent and rid scale..(these bugs are highly contageous) so inspect neighboring plants that sat nearest the Ficus.
Fish Emulsion is actually used as an organic fertilizer, but it also rids scale. A woman in Fl who has a citrus nursery told me that's what they use on trees..I have an Olive tree that was loaded w/scale upon arrival, used the FE and they all died..
1 capful of Fish Emulsion to a 16oz mister of water..Shake..then spray plant thoroughly..upper and lower leaves, stems, everywhere..It should do the trick.
BTW, is your Ficus outside? You can also start out by hosing the tree using a sharp spray, (some bugs might drop) let air dry, then apply FE.
One thing about FE..it has an odor, which lasts about 2 days..they now sell an odorless type...
You can find FE on Ebay at great prices..My favorite is Canadian, but others work just as well. Good luck, Toni
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Given that these are occurring on the new leaves, it could be oedema, a physiological process that happens if the plant has too much water at the time those leaves are forming. My understanding is that they take up more water than they can lose by transpiration, so cell pressure rises and some burst, leaving little scars. It's worse on cloudy or humid days as there is naturally less transpiration then too. The cases I've seen have small reddish-brown spots like yours, but not as many so I could be wrong. If I'm right, it's better than having a disease or pests, as it can be managed by being careful with your watering. These plants like to dry out in between being watered, and don't like soil that stays wet. Putting it in a larger pot may not have helped, especially if you used a fine soil that retains water. The marks won't go away, but they do become less obvious as the leaves darken with age, and if you sort out the water balance the new leaves will be better. There's a lot of information on this forum about soils and watering, just search and you'll find plenty to read. Good luck!
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trace00969
16 years ago
Are the smaller spots scale as well, or just the black bug?

Tracy
arak42
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank guys. I'll give that fish emulsion a try.

Oh, it is indoors, near the sunniest window. Now that the leaf drop has slowed down I am afraid to move it an inch!

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Black spots on weeping fig

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