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White Fungus on Hibiscus Buds

10 years ago

There is a white fngus that is preventing our hibiscus blooms from forming properly. You can see in the picture the new bud is all shriveled up and not growing properly. This fungus only shows up on the flower buds and leaves on the same stem. Every single bud looks like this and our mild flowering plant spray (BAYER ADVANCED Rose and Flower Insect Killer) is not doing the trick! Please help.

Comments (6)

Linda_Brookes
10 years ago
If it's a fungus will your insect killer work? Maybe you need a fungicide.
mooseblossoms
10 years ago
Looks like mealybugs. Imidicloprid is the recommended treatment but it has been linked to bee decline and colony collapse disorder. So please be conscientious if you use the stuff. You can use Bayer Tree and Shrub liquid (Imidicloprid) as a systemic drench or the granules as HVH suggests. A systemic insecticide is absorbed by the whole plant. I'm not sure how long the systemic would be present in the plant, but I would remove blooms for at least 4 weeks so as not to affect any bees.
The attached link has more info on successful eradication. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Treatment for mealybugs
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I was TRYING to get a better description from Carol regarding those little flies. I was thinking in terms of the Long Legged flies, which are pretty little iridescent insects....often green, but can be blue, gold, or other colors. I'll attach an image. They are beneficial. "small, orange, egg looking things" is a difficult description to go by. Do your own search on Milkweed Aphid and decide if that's it. If not, let us know if they are insects or if they are eggs. ;-) The flies would be after the aphids, by the way. Here is a link that might be useful:
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ALphids. Get a hose and spray them off real good. They will eat the flower anyway if you don't. If this plant is in a pot, go buy some Rose Systematic fertilizer and bug killer at a place that sells plants. You can buy it anywhere, I get mine from the nursery. It works great for everything, even beetles, I hate beetles. They can chew hibiscus leaves to look like lace.
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My regular Redbud took its time to die. After the first 5 years of prosperity, one spring, flowers and leaves on one branch wilt and died. It's a bit strange but I did not think of anything. The next year more branches died off. By 3 years, it looked up the disease. I removed the tree. Nothing goes in that hole. My weeping Redbud did not wake up this year. Almost all flower buds were brown so I thought of winter killed as we have had three tough winters consecutively. Anyway, this one was gone this year. Very sad. I do not plan to replace it with any Redbud due to its susceptibility of wilt.
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cgaertner09
Original Author
10 years ago
I appreciate your help. Looks like we'll try the Bayer Tree & Shrub granules first and then order the HVH Limonene Plant Cleaner to get rid of the rest of the mealybugs.
Hopefully that does the trick, thanks again.
mooseblossoms
10 years ago
You're welcome! :-)
Calvin Ragoonanan
10 years ago
Hibiscuses are quite prone to mealybugs and other pests unfortunately. The use of neem oil as an organic treatment works in some cases.

Here is a link that might be useful: Trini Garden
Sheryl Rogoski-Tymeson
4 years ago
what is the picture problem and solution

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