Little purple bumps / spots on trunks and branches of Ming Aralia
jo y b
6 years ago
Hi, everyone. I just got an account for a question that I can't seem to Google up a clue for. (I've gotten much help with many other questions from Googling my way to this forum before)
I'm very new to houseplants—I found a Ming Aralia several weeks ago at a Home Depot and really liked it, took it home. Recently, one of its trunk stems seemed to be dropping more leaves than the others. Just today, while inspecting the plant more closely, I saw for the first time that there are little reddish purple bumps here and there (not just on the shedding trunk, but some on a few others). They almost look moist, or at least squishy. Are these typical features, and I simply didn't notice them before on the bark? Do the purple bumps simply harden into brown "nodes"? Or is it a cause of concern, maybe related to the shedding?
Some brief info:
Zone 10.
It sits indoors at the foot of a south-facing apartment window.
Watered until draining, no more than once a week.
Soil misted every few days.
Any ideas? Hope the pictures help.
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Comments (25)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years agoDave
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Balfour Aralia -- an old favorite -- score!!!
Comments (16)I've got quite a few Aralias at home, several of which are the variegated balfour, my favorite as well. They are all relatively small, the largest being my parsley aralia which is about 4 ft tall and very full and beautiful. I have 2 mings, one is about 2.5ft tall. It is also very full. Recently, I found 3 small ''snowflake'' aralias, which are basically variegated parsleys. They are very nice as well. I actually found those at Ingles, a local grocery store in North and South Carolina. That is also where I found 2 of my small balfours. They surprisingly have a nice selection of small exotic tropicals. I keep all of my Aralias in the brightest spots in my house (a large west-facing window and a large south facing window. I keep them indoors year round and water them only when the soil is almost completely dry. I mist them, as well as all of my other tropicals about once a day to keep the humidity up in the house, mainly during the winter when the house is dry. I also have most of them on a tray of moist pebbles. Other than that, I have never had any major complaints out of my Aralias, and they are some of the easiest of my plants, imo. They prefer more neglect than too much attention. I've never overwatered them, as I knew about these plants before I ever bought one. So, luckily (*knock on wood*) I wont ever have to watch my Aralias suffer the devastating consequences of too much water. They really CAN put up with some pretty severe drought. I've waited until the soil is cracking and pulling away from the sides once or twice (even though I know not to) and they didnt flinch a leaf. So, that being said, these plants are pretty tough, except when it comes to keeping them too wet. How do you all care for your aralias? What about pruning? I pruned my large parsley about mid-fall and it is sprouting new shoots all over the place now, even in winter! I know they go semi-dormant, but I dont think it really matters when or where you prune them. They grow back quickly and more beautiful than before! I hope all of you Aralia owners are having fun with these awesome plants. They are really nice to have. Peace and happy indoor gardening! -Chris South Carolina...See MoreChicken Gizzard Aralia
Comments (6)A photo would help, if you are able to post. Just depending on the type of growth, it's POSSIBLE that you may be able to stimulate branching by lopping one of the existing trunks - and also using that material for propagation to try to strike more. But, that's only a possibility and you may sacrifice a healthy stem and end up failing, so the easiest solution if you want a multi-trunked planting, is, yes, to add another to the pot. You might have to repot the original and scrape away a little of the soil on the side where you want the third one to go...See MoreNew Ming Aralia... looks droopy
Comments (11)Pyramids - appropriate pot size isn't determined by how large the prospective pot is, relative to how large the pot that contains the plant now is. It's determined by soil choice. If you use a soil coarse enough that it doesn't support a soggy layer of perched water at the bottom of the pot, you could pot your existing plant in a 55 gal drum today if you want to. Actually, using a soil like that would be very good for the plant, given the plant's aversion to wet feet. Here's a picture of a soil that works extremely well for aralia, followed by something about pot size. I also included a scenario that illustrates the benefits of repotting, which includes a change of soil and root pruning, in comparison to simply potting up a pot size, which ensures limitations related to root congestion will always be a factor that limits growth and vitality. I hope you find the info useful. Choosing an Appropriate Size Container How large a container ‘can’ or ‘should’ be, depends on the relationship between the mass of the plant material you are working with and your choice of soil. We often concern ourselves with "over-potting" (using a container that is too large), but "over-potting" is a term that arises from a lack of a basic understanding about the relationship we will look at, which logically determines appropriate container size. It's often parroted that you should only move up one container size when "potting-up". The reasoning is, that when potting up to a container more than one size larger, the soil will remain wet too long and cause root rot issues, but it is the size/mass of the plant material you are working with, and the physical properties of the soil you choose that determines both the upper & lower limits of appropriate container size - not a formulaic upward progression of container sizes. In many cases, after root pruning a plant, it may even be appropriate to step down a container size or two, but as you will see, that also depends on the physical properties of the soil you choose. It's not uncommon for me, after a repot/root-pruning to pot in containers as small as 1/5 the size as that which the plant had been growing in prior to the work. Plants grown in ‘slow’ (slow-draining/water-retentive) soils need to be grown in containers with smaller soil volumes so that the plant can use water quickly, allowing air to return to the soil before root issues beyond impaired root function/metabolism become a limiting factor. We know that the anaerobic (airless) conditions that accompany soggy soils quickly kill fine roots and impair root function/metabolism. We also know smaller soil volumes and the root constriction that accompany them cause plants to both extend branches and gain o/a mass much more slowly - a bane if rapid growth is the goal - a boon if growth restriction and a compact plant are what you have your sights set on. Conversely, rampant growth can be had by growing in very large containers and in very fast soils where frequent watering and fertilizing is required - so it's not that plants rebel at being potted into very large containers per se, but rather, they rebel at being potted into very large containers with a soil that is too slow and water-retentive. This is a key point. We know that there is an inverse relationship between soil particle size and the height of the perched water table (PWT) in containers. As particle size increases, the height of the PWT decreases, until at about a particle size of just under 1/8 inch, soils will no longer hold perched water. If there is no perched water, the soil is ALWAYS well aerated, even when the soil is at container capacity (fully saturated). So, if you aim for a soil (like the gritty mix) composed primarily of particles larger than 1/16", there is no upper limit to container size, other than what you can practically manage. The lower size limit will be determined by the soil volume's ability to allow room for roots to ’run’ and to furnish water enough to sustain the plant between irrigations. Bearing heavily on this ability is the ratio of fine roots to coarse roots. It takes a minimum amount of fine rootage to support the canopy under high water demand. If the container is full of large roots, there may not be room for a sufficient volume of the fine roots that do all the water/nutrient delivery work and the coarse roots, too. You can grow a very large plant in a very small container if the roots have been well managed and the lion's share of the rootage is fine. You can also grow very small plants, even seedlings, in very large containers if the soil is fast (free-draining and well-aerated) enough that the soil holds no, or very little perched water. I have just offered clear illustration why the oft repeated advice to ‘resist pottting up more than one pot size at a time’, only applies when using heavy, water-retentive soils. Those using well-aerated soils are not bound by the same restrictions. As the ht and volume of the perched water table are reduced, the potential for negative effects associated with over-potting are diminished in a direct relationship with the reduction - up to the point at which the soil holds no (or an insignificant amount) of perched water and over-potting pretty much becomes a non-issue. Repotting vs Potting Up I often explain the effects of repotting vs potting up like this: Let's rate growth/vitality potential on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best. We're going to say that trees in containers can only achieve a 9. Lets also imagine that for every year a tree goes w/o repotting or potting up, its measure of growth/vitality slips by 1 number, That is to say you pot a tree and the first year it grows at a level of 9, the next year, an 8, the next year a 7. Lets also imagine we're going to go 3 years between repotting or potting up. Here's what happens to the tree you repot/root prune: year 1: 9 year 2: 8 year 3: 7 repot year 1: 9 year 2: 8 year 3: 7 repot year 1: 9 year 2: 8 year 3: 7 You can see that a full repotting and root pruning returns the plant to its full potential within the limits of other cultural influences for as long as you care to repot/root prune. Looking now at how woody plants respond to only potting up: year 1: 9 year 2: 8 year 3: 7 pot up year 1: 8 year 2: 7 year 3: 6 pot up year 1: 7 year 2: 6 year 3: 5 pot up year 1: 6 year 2: 5 year 3: 4 pot up year 1: 5 year 2: 4 year 3: 3 pot up year 1: 4 year 2: 3 year 3: 2 pot up year 1: 3 year 2: 2 year 3: 1 This is a fairly accurate illustration of the influence tight roots have on a woody plant's growth/vitality. You might think of it for a moment in the context of the longevity of bonsai trees vs the life expectancy of most trees grown as houseplants, the difference between 4 years and 400 years lying primarily in how the roots are treated. Al...See MoreMing Aralia Tree - Need Help
Comments (4)From your use of Celsius degrees I assume you reside in Canada somewhere....14úC = 57úF....cool, but shouldn't be too cool for a houseplant in winter. Plants normally now are, while not dormant per se, use a lot less water...and to that you don't say how or when you give water to the plant. Does it drain properly and do you throw out such drainage, not letting it be drawn back up to the roots. The plant's position in relation to sunlight, and to outside air or air from a heat vent. This can affect how much moisture the leaves are taking up. There is very little drier than a house in winter with the furnace on. Cool nighttime temperatures are appreciated at this time....hence the 57ú is just about right. You didn't say just how long you were away and whether you watered it before you went away. Most plants, given a good watering, and good drainage, can go weeks without additional. If they are not growing then there's no need to feed--they couldn't juse it if fed. Most problems with drying out will be noticed first at the bottom leaves of the plant...they are ones closest to the drying roots. Make sure the pot's soil isn't shrinking from the sides and hence, when you water, it goes straight down to the saucer...very little makes it to the roots to stick around. If that occurs, simply add soil to fill the cavity. To assist in drying during winter months, try misting the plant. The leaves can then absorb some of the moisture without giving the entire plant a watering. Watch how the sun comes through the window glass...too close, it can burn--even in winter, sunlight can be too much when close to the window. Draw it back some and as winter progresses, put it closer. The days are getting longer now...winter solstace--the shortest day in the year---so the plant should begin to improve....See Morejo y b
6 years ago
goldstar135
6 years agojo y b
6 years agojo y b
6 years agoPete
6 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agoPete
6 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years agolitterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
6 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
6 years agogrrr4200
6 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
6 years ago
Ekor Tupai
6 years agojo y b
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoThank you, everyone! I do think it's scale (warning: very last photo will be an icky picture of my scrapings—this is as close as I could get, floral :T ). They came off like flakes with little weight, actually, with the nudge of a plastic knife. I immediately sprayed both the inside of its shell and where it had been attached to the tree in case crawlers were coming out in a frenzy from either.
Litterbuggy, to provide more info (that pics alone can't provide!):
- We will try the chopstick! We had previously been sticking a finger in / using a meter.
- The potting mix isn't typical peat moss + perlite; it's fast-draining succulent mix with perlite. Does this look coarse enough?
- We live in Orange County so it's desert-dry; I mist it some mornings. Our temperature stays around 78°F with the AC off while we're gone. Air doesn't move much. And our tap water is indeed pretty hard.
- Still have little budding green shoots on nearly every stem. Most leaf stems are still upright; only some droop, especially this one trunk stem:
My two top concerns now...
- I'm now worried every little brown speck on the trunk is scale... Should I be?
- The tops of each trunk/stem are dark; since every one was that way (and has been for a while), it didn't occur to me that might be unhealthy. Is that of great concern?
Gross photo alert. It's so dark you can't really see much...
jo y b
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoThanks for the continued help! From lurking around the forums even before I posted this thread, I'd heard such and was concerned :( We will probably go pick up perlite this weekend.
I've always been curious for both our succulents and houseplants: we have a big bag of river pebbles on hand. Have any of you tried mixing pebbles throughout your perlite-soil mix? Alternatively, since aralia roots mostly go to the bottom 1/3 of the pot, would it help to layer (or densely mix into the soil) pebbles there for better drainage? I know this is generally advised against because it just hogs space and moves up water retention to the middle section of the pot...
To your question: The dark parts aren't softer than the trunk stems. They're pretty dry as well!
Tiny shoots here and there provide some encouragement and consolation...
jo y b
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoMight even small specks here and there be scale in development?
jo y b
6 years ago
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