ficus bonsai scale problem

8 years ago

My ficus bonsai which was thriving for so long has all of a sudden taken a turn for the worst! It had all these little bugs on the stems and leaves and after doing some research I realized they were scales. I picked them off one by one until they had all been taken off, and then I sprayed the plant with a mixture of water, soap, and rubbing alcohol. That sat on it for 30 minutes, and then I gave it a good rinse. Since then (about a week ago). the leaves have all curled up, and are dried and dropping. The soil looks really healthy though, and the roots also seem healthy, and I chipped away some bark lightly and the trunk is still green.. How do I save these little guy ? no scales on it, but it doesn't look happy.

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Comments (4)

Kev (z7b NY)
8 years ago
Sadly some plants to take to the alcohol bath. If you have the alcohol, just put some on a cotton swab (Q-Tip) and rub them off. If you have an infestation, then I would recommend a systemic insecticide. You sprinkle some on the soil and water it in. The plant will take it in and actually make the plant sap poisonous to the bugs. when they suck the sap. Bam, they're dead. NEVER use this stuff on plants that *you* are going to eat! ;) There's a slight smell when you water, but you only need it when the bugs are visible.

Another way is to use the product Neem. It's an oil and when rubbed over the bug it suffocates them.

One thing to note is that when you eradicate Momma, sometimes babies are underneath her. If you use the systemic stuff, no problem as it will kill the babies too when they go to feed. If you use the Neem, you will have to repeat the process every 10 days or so to make use you get them all. HTH
keiko_devaux
Original Author
8 years ago
Thank you for your comment ! Although - my confusion lies in the fact that there are no more scales on it (and I check every day), yet the leaves are drying and curling and dropping. I can go and get Neem and continue to treat the plant for scales, but I don't see anymore on it, and the plant went from looking super vibrant and healthy to just a trunk with dead leaves on it. :(
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Hi Al, The top of my soil mix is topped with larger bark pieces to help keep evaporation minimal. The ficus is actually in your gritty mix. Watering I've been following your procedure, allowing a good amount to pass through and drip out before watering again, then tipping to minimize perched water. I also added the cotton wick at the bottom of the pot. I usually water when it's mostly dry. I'll keep an eye on it, but this past time when I noticed the burn leaf buds the cotton wick was dry but not bone dry. Going back out I did notice one thing though. The leaves were covered in really really tiny green and black aphids? I moved one out of the way and could see the plants white sap begin to leak. I gave it a generous spraying of Safer Insect Killing Soap, covering all of it including the underside of leaves. I got most of them off. I'll check again in 2 days per instructions and respray, then I guess respray every week for maintenance. Ugh, hopefully that will help. Understood, I'll stay the course on for the future lower branch. I was just wondering if a prune or pinch might force another shoot. For the lower branch how long should I let it grow untouched? At what point should I pinch back to make sure the plant doesn't get too leggy; which was it's problem that motivated this hard chop in the first place. Thank you again for all your help! Tofu
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Kev (z7b NY)
8 years ago
Hi, I wouldn't use any more remedy if you don't see the bugs, but I would keep my eye out for them. Be sure to check at the base of the petiole meed the twig.

The big thing is not to panic. Don't water more or don't give it fertilizer until you see leaves come back. Just stick to it's regular schedule. I would wait a few weeks and do the "twig bend" test. Bend the twig and if it bends, it's alive. If it snaps it's dead. You *may* get some die back, but the tree wants to live and if it's able will start producing new leaves. If there are any dead leaves clinging to the branch, cut them off but leave the petiole, so you don't damage the bud at the base of the leaf. Good Luck and HTH.
keiko_devaux
Original Author
8 years ago
thanks! hopefully new growth will start soon. none of the branches are dead currently, but i don't see any new growth yet. fingers crossed

ficus bonsai scale problem

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ficus bonsai scale problem

Comments (4)

Kev (z7b NY)

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Kev (z7b NY)

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