Which infestation does my ficus benjamina have?
User
7 years ago
Hi there,
It was time for my Ficus to be repotted today, and I noticed these worrying tiny black spots on the back of leaves and sometimes also on the front. I'm aware it's common to have those white droplets behind the leaf, but I cannot find anywhere someone who tells me what those little black dots are. I assume it's small bugs feeding on guttation. Just in case, I gave it a shower with soapy water followed by a complete rinse in clean water, and I will do this for few days in a row, but I am unsure if it needs a harsher treatment. If you can help me, that would be great. Thanks!!
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7 years agoRelated Discussions
Small silvery bugs on my Benjamina Ficus
Comments (4)Good to see you, too! Fungus gnats Your soil looks like it has collapsed and is extremely water-retentive - thus the rotten roots, too. You need to get your watering under control - watering to much. In most cases, you can control the gnats with a more appropriate watering regimen, but when soil is badly broken down, watering appropriately might not be possible, or if it was it still might not offer relief from the gnats. Do you know how to use a wood dowel to test for the need to water? I've been posting right along - just not as much as usual. I was pretty busy this year, and I get a LOT of email from GW members with questions, which means I wasn't able to spend as much time here during summer - early winter. Tons of snow here and bitter cold for the last 10 weeks, so not much kickin now. ;-)...See Morewhat is this on my ficus benjamina?
Comments (10)>> These look like spider mites to me by the descriptions I've read. If so, should I spray soapy water all over the plant? Update for those who may be considering their spider mite options: spraying soapy water did nothing other than give me really sparkling clean spider mites. :-) Now they must be even more attractive to each other for their little dates and their nasty mating every three seconds. So, then I sprayed the plants with the flexible shower hose, trying to hit the underside of each leaf individually (trying not to think about little nasties flying all over my bathroom), and when the leaves dried, I do not see a single mite on any of the plants affected! I am relieved somewhat - not considering burning down my apartment anymore. Debating putting those plants back under the grow light next to other plants - but then giving them regular prophylactic underleaf showers and watching them like a hawk. Oh, and I used this excuse to throw away the croton. It was ugly-looking to begin with, and it's a mite magnet, so there it went. The roots were much more extensive and healthier in gritty mix than they were in peatier more water-retentive soil the last time I saw them (Al, thanks if you are still reading this). The amaryllis got a forceful shower right in-between the leaves. Other than washed out 1/3rd of the medium and slightly disturbed cottony stuff, that did very little. So rubbing alcohol treatment was next - q-tip in between the leaves to mechanically clean up the white cottony stuff. Then I dropped a drop of alcohol in-between each leaf for good measure. That one is definitely staying separate from other plants because mealybugs are so much worse than spider mites, I understand....See MoreHelp with my ficus benjamina please
Comments (3)Timing is a primary consideration, often determining whether repotting or potting up is the wise choice. For you at this juncture, potting up if required is the wise choice. Repotting non-temperate plants, which includes removing all or most of the old soil and root-pruning, is best undertaken in the month prior to the plant's most robust growth period for a very high % of plants commonly grown indoors, yours included. That translates to July for you. While potting up can be undertaken at any time, you should probably avoid spring repots of Ficus, as the plant will most likely have the lowest energy reserve level of the entire growth cycle, ensuring a long recovery period and increased likelihood of susceptibility to insects and disease due to the additional weakening subsequent to repotting. Repotting is an essential part of maintaining all trees in containers, if you expect the plant to grow at or near its genetic potential. Repotting ensures the plant will at least have the opportunity to grow to its potential within the limits of all other cultural influences, while simply potting up ensures it will not. It is important to mechanically secure the plant so it will not move in relation to its container. A secure plant establishes/reestablishes in a fraction of the time that it takes for unsecured plants. If it was my plant, I would make some deep vertical cuts in the root mass with a very sharp utility knife, and score a deep 'X' on the bottom, or saw off the bottom 1/4 of the roots and pot up into a slightly larger container until next summer. Move the plant outdoors as soon as temps allow, acclimating it to full sun, & let the plant gain strength so it recovers from next summer's repot quickly. You might find this info about tending Ficus trees in containers helpful. And this thread that contains lots of info about trees in containers and repotting should have some info especially helpful to you. Good luck. ..... additional questions? Al...See MoreFicus benjamina question - recognize issue?
Comments (11)I've been at bonsai for close to 30 years, and I often have trees I'm certain hold a LOT of potential, but I just can't see it. 2 of my best trees were not pruned to achieve a particular end I envisioned until many years after I acquired them. I probably scrutinized both of them 100 times until something just absolutely jumped out at me in an 'eureka moment'. Sometimes that happens as you walk past a tree I've been considering for a year or more. Not only that, but more often than not I end up revising what I had envisioned as the future style or design of a tree because the tree vetoed my plants by revealing a more interesting path I hadn't considered. If you learn the basics of pruning, like what happens when we prune, when to prune, and a few basics like where to concentrate most of your pruning efforts and how to pinch, what's left is removing the problematic branches. By problematic, I mean the ones that don't contribute to your vision of what the plant wants to be. I think I'll start a Q/A thread about pruning and see where it goes. Al...See MoreDave
7 years agoUser
7 years agoUser
7 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
7 years ago
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Dave