My Fiddle Fig has scales and the soil has other insects

3 months ago

I have scales on my new fiddle fig tree. I have so far wiped it down with rubbing alcohol.

I need help with the soil in the pot. The soil has some worms like insects (not earth worms). I want to change the soil and get the current soil sanitized. Need some direction. What can be done?

Featured Answer

tapla

3 months ago

last modified: 3 months ago

Be careful about using straight rubbing alcohol, it can strip cuticular wax from the leaf surfaces, which increases water loss through leaves and provides an entry point where pathogens can more easily enter the plant.

You don't mention where you live, but should it be too cold to spray the plant outdoors now, my suggestion would be to treat the plant with a soil drench that contains Imidacloprid, which will take care of both issues.

Add 2 teaspoons of the 1.47% solution to a quart or liter of distilled water to which 1 teaspoon of white vinegar has been added. The reason for the distilled water and vinegar is, Imidacloprid is degraded by alkaline hydrolysis, and almost all tapwater is alkaline. Using distilled water or water from a r/o filtration system that has been acidified with white vinegar ensures it will be free of bicarbonates and slightly acidic.

If it IS warm enough that the spraying can be done outdoors where the plant can be left to dry, Bayer 3-in-1 for Insects, Disease, and Mites will work better and faster, and it covers 3 bases.

Follow mixing directions and spray the plant so all surfaces of leaves and branches are made wet, then allow it to dry outdoors out of wind. This product should similarly be mixed with distilled water and acidified with vinegar to work best. Be sure to purchase the product with a label which lists Imidacloprid as an active ingredient. They make 2 products with the same label and only 1 contains the systemic insecticide Imidacloprid.

If you're not happy with your plants level of vitality (health), and if you wish, we can talk about how to tailor a care regimen to the plant, and talk more about repotting. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, the best way to proceed is

* Flush the soil thoroughly

* (probably) Fertilize with an appropriate soluble synthetic fertilizer (Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 is great)

* Make sure your watering intervals are appropriate by using a wooden 'tell' to 'tell' you when it's time to water.

* Move the plant outdoors into dappled or open shade as soon as night temps are reliably above 55*

* Plan to repot and do any essential pruning in June

My plan isn't to leave you stranded with some generalized suggestions. If you decide you think there is merit in my reasoning, we can work together on a care plan and I'll provide more specific suggestions - like how to go about repotting, how to flush the soil, why I suggest you wait until June to repot and do any other stressful work ...........

Comments (13)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 months ago
I have scales on my new fiddle fig tree.

====>>>>

==>> i would return it for a full refund.. and then go buy a CLEAN plant from a better seller ....

you appear to have bought an infected plant ... many local Ag agencies would be interested in such a seller doing such .. they should be put out of business ....

ken
Anna Na thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
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Anna Na
Original Author
3 months ago
@tapla Thank you for the detailed answer. This really helps.

Sorry about this late response. I live in Maryland.

1. I would like to know how I can completely change out the soil for my Fiddle leaf fig?

2. Should I wait until June to repot? To change out the soil>??

3. Will BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control Concentrate kill scales? the product does not mention Scales at all? or should i use : BioAdvanced Tree & Shrub Protect and Feed Concentrate - as it specifically mentions Scales?

Below are the pictures of when we got the plan.

As you can see, it was really bad!

We have since cleaned up all of those and currently not seeing any new ones.

But i want to completely change out the soil without shocking the poor plant ..
Anna Na
Original Author
3 months ago
@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 I would like to get this information out there for other buyers! This plant was from Hey Rooted.

I usually buy from my local nursery, but they did not have the size of FLF i was looking for, thus I bought this one online. They gave me a full refund. But I did not have the heart to throw out this poor plant!
tapla
3 months ago
1. I would like to know how I can completely change out the soil for my Fiddle leaf fig? Generally speaking, a repotting session should include bare-rooting of most plants (conifers should not be fully bare-rooted), root pruning, and a change of medium. I'll refer you to a thread I started many years ago that focuses on long term care of trees in pots. I also wrote one about caring for Ficus over the long term, and another about good growing practices in general.

Long Term Care of Trees in Containers

Long Term Care of Ficus in Containers

Overview of Good Growing Practices

2. Should I wait until June to repot? To change out the soil>?? Yes, please wait. I see nothing leading me to believe there is nothing emergent enough to justify repotting now (as opposed to waiting until June) if you live in the Northern Hemisphere. I'm not suggesting a repot would jeopardize your trees viability, only that your tree will better tolerate the stress of repotting when it's energy reserves are high and its ability to make food (trees synthesize their own food [sugar/ glucose] during the process of photosynthesis) is about to peak. In the Northern Hemisphere, that occurs at the Summer Solstice (Jun 21). This means the tree's recovery time will be much shorter, and since your tree's natural defenses are directly related to its metabolic rate, the tree's vulnerability to insect herbivory and disease pathogens will also be very low during this period.

Plant's have natural rhythms, during which the tree's energy levels fluctuate. Unless there is a dire reason to repot out of season, the best practice is to work to take advantage of the plant's strengths by doing repots and heavy pruning when the tree is most robust, and allowing for the trees 'down time' by being extra careful to avoid unnecessary stress. Not only is that practice better for the tree, it enhances your sense of being a good nurturer, the reason which underlies our desire to keep plants.

As your journey toward a green thumb continues, you'll realize the plane on which you interact with plants is elevated, primarily by knowledge, and there is a great deal more personal satisfaction that comes with that elevation.

3. Will BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control Concentrate kill scales? Yes. It's what I prefer to rid plants of insects with rasping/sucking mouth parts, but be sure to purchase the product with a label which lists Imidacloprid as an active ingredient, along with Tebuconazole (ststemic fungicide) and Tau-fluvalanate, a miticide. They make 2 different products, same label - different ingredients, and only 1 contains the systemic insecticide Imidacloprid IMAGE. the product does not mention Scales at all? It lists them in the folder adheared to the backside of the container. or should i use : BioAdvanced Tree & Shrub Protect and Feed Concentrate - as it specifically mentions Scales? It contains the same active ingredient (Imidacloprid) and a fertilizer that will interfere with your control over the plant's nutrition (assuming you're using an appropriate fertilizer like Foliage-Pro 9-3-6). The product in the container of BioAdvanced Tree & Shrub Protect and Feed Concentrate is the same product manufactured and labeled as Marathon. I used it by sprinkling an appropriate amount on the surface of my indoor plants before bringing indoors for the winter, I had sever root issues with almost all of them and was fortunate they all survived. The reason wasn't due to the product being an abiotic pathogen, it was due to the fact that the granules migrated into the soil (gritty mix) and filled the pore space between particles. This might have been ok in deeper containers, but plants in the shallow containers I grow in demand superior drainage, which the granular product destroyed. It might be as bad for you, depending on the depth of the pot, but both products I originally suggested have the very same active ingredient and I know neither have the potential of damaging soil structure like the granular product did. Your call. If you decide to use the granular product, I have 5 lbs of Marathon I'll give you for the price of postage. That's about $75 worth of insecticide, but caveate emptor.

Al
Cyn Ottchen
3 months ago
Hi Al,

This topic is interesting to me because I have a similar situation except I live in southern Florida. So I was wondering if you could comment on some related questions I have.

1- Some plants still have a dormancy cycle but others grow year-round here. Does your advice to hold off for June to repot still hold for these conditions?

2- What about spraying vs soil drench in these warm conditions? It is already over 80 deg F here. Do you consider spraying to be a better solution in general?

3- I believe the Bayer product has been changed to accomodate some of the state laws -- such as Maryland -- that have banned Imidacloprid. At least that is what several people writing reviews on amazon have stated. Apparently since around 2018 it no longer contains Imidacloprid just the other two ingredients but they haven't bothered to update the amazon info for instance. There might be some older product on the local shelves but I haven't found any. Because of this I ordered Bonide Annual Tree and Shrub Insect Control, Insecticide/Pesticide Concentrate which has the 1.47% Imidacloprid and is a liquid. I guess this would be something like you suggested for soil drench. But I can't find another product meant for foliar spray with the Imidacloprid. Which is why I was planning to soil drench.
Anna Na
Original Author
3 months ago
I am going to get BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control Concentrate in MD. So hopefully it will have Imidacloprid and will help my FLF.

I was checking the ingredients in MD and it shows :

Imidacloprid . . . . . . . . . . . 0.47%

Tau-fluvalinate . . . . . . . . . 0.61%

Tebuconazole . . . . . . . . 0.65%

OTHER INGREDIENTS . . . . 98.27%

Will this still work for soil drench?

Also can you please help me understand how to use this on the plant, step by step?

When should i fertilize my FLF using the Foliage-Pro 9-3-6

Sorry - totally new at this.
Cyn Ottchen
3 months ago
Anna Na- perhaps you found one still on the shelf?

Banned pesticide still in some Maryland stores, spot checks show

https://marylandreporter.com/2018/12/21/banned-pesticide-still-in-some-maryland-stores-spot-checks-show/

The Pollinator Protection Act of 2016 limits the use and sale of neonicotinoid pesticides within the state of Maryland. Neonicotinoid pesticides are defined as pesticides with active ingredients including: Imidacloprid, Nithiazine, Acetamiprid, Clothianidin, Dinotefuran, Thiacloprid, and Thiamethoxam.

Apparently this is related to the fact it can kill bees.

Here's more on the various states' bans.

https://ashs.org/blogpost/1288786/251171/U-S-States-Begin-Ban-on-Neonicotinoids

In Europe it is banned but they have granted lots of 'emergency use' for it.
tapla
3 months ago
last modified: 3 months ago
Hi, Cyn -

1- Some plants still have a dormancy cycle but others grow year-round here. Does your advice to hold off for June to repot still hold for these conditions? The advice should be considered as being 'general' in many cases because more often than not growers looking for help fail to let us know where they live. Geography is often an important consideration if growers are to receive the most beneficial advice tailored to their specific circumstances. You are right if you're thinking the farther South (or North, in the southern Hemisphere) a grower lives, the less important it is to make allowances for plants' flux in terms of changes in vitality levels during the annual growth cycle by limiting hard work like heavy pruning and repotting to the weeks immediately prior to the Summer Solstice.

If I had to guess the N or S latitude at which the timing of heavy work like repotting and hard pruning can be done w/o penalty for not giving it consideration would be about 15-20*. For reference, Miami is situated at about 25* N latitude, Houston at 30*, and Los Angeles at 34*, so when it comes to the timing of heavy work, June would still be the best time, but heavy work could be completed earlier - maybe last week of May through the Summer Solstice.

It should be noted that there is nothing to say we can't do anything we wish with our plants, where and when we want. What underlies the conversation re the timing of hard work is when the plant will best tolerate the work and recover the fastest. For the overwhelming % of houseplants, that will be in the weeks preceding the month in which the most robust growth takes place.

2- What about spraying vs soil drench in these warm conditions? It is already over 80 deg F here. Do you consider spraying to be a better solution in general? It's going to depend on what product you might be spraying and what plant(s) is/are being sprayed. Spray applications of Imidacloprid work about as well as a soil drench for plants with succulent or herbaceous (not woody) stems. For plants with woody stems and branches, spraying works much faster. Since almost everything I'm growing now would be woody, I'm partial to spraying. I don't have any trouble if I spray just before dark, but then I don't have near tropical sun, either. You'll need to feel your way through the 'to spray or drench' question or play it safe and drench. I also like spray because it provides a prophylactic fungal deterrent in the same application.

3- I believe the Bayer product has been changed to accomodate some of the state laws -- such as Maryland -- that have banned Imidacloprid. At least that is what several people writing reviews on amazon have stated. Apparently since around 2018 it no longer contains Imidacloprid just the other two ingredients but they haven't bothered to update the amazon info for instance. There might be some older product on the local shelves but I haven't found any. Because of this I ordered Bonide Annual Tree and Shrub Insect Control, Insecticide/Pesticide Concentrate which has the 1.47% Imidacloprid and is a liquid. I guess this would be something like you suggested for soil drench. But I can't find another product meant for foliar spray with the Imidacloprid. Which is why I was planning to soil drench. I have found that the product sold by places like Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, Walmart, ..... do not contain Imidacloprid (here in MI), but the product I am and have been seeing on shelves at local greenhouse/nursery ops DO contain Imidacloprid. I just bought a case (8 quarts) of Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 with Imidacloprid last summer before I discovered it was still available locally - just not at the larger chain stores. See it here.

Al
tapla
3 months ago
I am going to get BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control Concentrate in MD. So hopefully it will have Imidacloprid and will help my FLF.

I was checking the ingredients in MD and it shows :

Imidacloprid . . . . . . . . . . . 0.47%

Tau-fluvalinate . . . . . . . . . 0.61%

Tebuconazole . . . . . . . . 0.65%

OTHER INGREDIENTS . . . . 98.27%

Will this still work for soil drench? I can't say. It's not formulated to be used as a soil drench, but it will be effective if used as a spray ACCORDING TO PACKAGE INSTRUCTIONS.

Also can you please help me understand how to use this on the plant, step by step? Mix it according to package directions. I try to make sure the entire surface area of the plant is covered by the spray, but since the product acts systemically (it's absorbed into the plant) covering all surfaces is much less important than when using a contact topical that works only when insects come in contact with the spray.

When should i fertilize my FLF using the Foliage-Pro 9-3-6. No one can offer other than general 'how to' information re nutritional supplementation w/o a good understanding of what your watering habits are and what type of grow medium your plants are in. Example: If you are flushing the soil every time you water, so at least 20% of the entire volume of water used to wet the soil is passing through the soil and out the drain hole, carrying any build-up of dissolved solids (salts) from fertilizer solutions and tap water with it, you might water every 4th of 5th time you water. If, however, your medium is water-retentive and your habit runs to watering in small sips to spare your plant the limitations associated with prolonged intervals where much of the soil remains saturated, you might only need to fertilize twice in a year. Obviously the later is not the best situation to find yourself in.

The ideal situation is to make sure your medium is well-aerated and drains well enough to water copiously, flushing the soil as you water. Then, you can tie the frequency with which you fertilize to the number of times you have watered. For example: In summer, when you water drop a marble or button into the pot. When you're about to drop in the 4th marble, fertilize with the FP 9-3-6 solution, pick up all the marbles/buttons, and start the cycle over. That method allows you to easily keep track of what plants need fertilizing and what plants don't.

Sorry - totally new at this. That means you have free license to ask any question that comes to mind. Asking questions and getting directions you can practically apply with confidence will help you avoid all the pitfalls others inevitable find themselves entangled in because they put the cart in front of the horse. While they are learning from the mistakes they make while practically applying information that either seems easiest or proves inappropriate, you will be using your practical applications to validate what you already know. That, is the fastest and most direct way to a green thumb.

Al
Anna Na
Original Author
3 months ago
Hello again,

UPDATE:

So we sprayed the plant down in BioAdvanced 3-in-1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control and watered the plant.

But now after 2 weeks we are seeing the leaves fall!!!!!!I dont know whats going on - there are black spots and browning on the leaf. Please see the images for reference

This is the second leaf from the bottom that has fallen

please help!
Cyn Ottchen
2 months ago
I ordered the Bayer 3-in-1 from DoMyOwn and it DID have the Imidacloprid. Thanks Al!
tapla
2 months ago

Al