Whitefly

/Whitefly/

Whitefly

If you flick a leaf, so they fly away, then settle back down? If so, these are whitefly. Whitefly live on plants throughout their three life-stages. During the first stage, whitefly lay eggs which appear on the underside of leaves as white patches arranged in regular curves. Each female can produce 100-200 eggs at a time. After the eggs hatch, they become larvae that suck out the nutrients of the leaves and stems. (The stickiness you feel is called honeydew, a fancy word for the excretions of the insects.) And as adults they become flying insects that lay more eggs and the cycle repeats itself. Spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap that are direct-contact controls. Another organic remedy is Spinosad that has a 7-10 day residual.

By | 2016-03-19T10:26:45-07:00 March 19th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Corn Stalk Dracaena

We apologize for the delay, but due to technical difficulties, yours was not answered and we sincerely apologize for the delay. Our technician is looking into this glitch and hopefully this will be resolved to make our app even better. In the meantime, yours is commonly known as a corn plant. The Dracaena fragrans is a popular houseplant/tropical plant that thrives in well-drained soil in bright, indirect light indoors or filtered light outdoors when the temperatures are mild and there is no frost. Prized for its corn stalk-like foliage and growth habit. Water when the soil feels dry down to your first knuckle and feed with a slow release fertilizer formulated for container plants. Outdoors provide partial shade. Does not tolerate frost conditions.

By | 2016-03-19T08:51:05-07:00 March 19th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Clivia

Care for a clivia: it is a perennial from tuberous rhizomes. Native to South Africa, it bears primarily orange, red, or yellow clusters of funnel-shaped flowers on stalks that emerge above the clumps of foliage in late winter-spring. Following the spent flowers, seed head berries appear that typically ripen to red-orange or yellow. It grows best indoors in bright indirect light and needs a period of coolness in winter to promote bloom. It should be watered when the top
inch of soil feels dry down to the first knuckle. Does not tolerate frost, but when day and evening temperatures remain mild, it will do very well outdoors in shade. Feed with a slow release fertilizer during its growth and bloom cycles. Do not water overhead, water at the plant's base.

By | 2016-03-19T07:25:00-07:00 March 19th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Black Sooty Mold

Black sooty mold results from the excretions of sap-sucking insects such as aphids, The excretions (called honeydew) lead to black sooty mold. Aphids can be washed off with a strong stream of water but If the problem is extensive, then it might be best to use an organic control such as Spinosad with a 7-10 day residual. If spraying with Spinosad wait until the early evening after the bees have returned to their hives. Once the spray has dried it is safe for beneficials. You can also use systemic insecticide formulated for your specific plant. Also if you see ants around your plant, get rid of them with an ant bait that they take back to the nest so that the entire colony can be killed. Ants "farm" aphids, scale and mealybugs for their honeydew.

By | 2016-03-19T06:51:16-07:00 March 19th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Citrus Leaf Miner

This looks like citrus leaf miner, a very common insect pest of citrus. A moth lays eggs under the leaf surface and the larvae tunnel through the leaf. It makes the trees look terrible but only threatens young trees. The insects can be difficult to control. You'll want to follow good cultural care practices on the trees to keep them optimally healthy and continue to grow and produce fruit. (Specifically, do not prune and/or fertilize at inappropriate times of year as these
insects feed on the newest growth). These two web links have the best info:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74137.html

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/FRUIT/citrus.html
Those websites will give you control options, organic and synthetic. Timing is very important with organics, as are repeat sprays.

By | 2016-03-19T05:46:12-07:00 March 19th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Cymbidium Orchid

Your plant is a Cymbidium orchid of which there are many, many species and cultivars. If you have ever attended an orchid show, you will be amazed at the array of Cymbidiums in all shapes, sizes, colors, etc. As a plant indoors, it needs bright indiirect light, regular water but make sure the water drains out - do not allow the plants to sit in water as this leads to root rot, and feed with a slow release fertilizer formulated for blooming container plants. If you have enjoyed the flowering spikes indoors and the flowers are spent, it would be best to keep outdoors in a little more sun or partial sun. When temperatures dip in winter, that will signal your cymbidium to form flowering spikes again, but does not tolerate frost.

By | 2016-03-19T05:05:41-07:00 March 19th, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
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Beehive Ginger

Beehive Ginger is an ornamental ginger native of Thailand and produces spectacular cones of flowering bracts that begin a greenish color and eventually age to a bright golden yellow, pink or red. Cones can be large, up to 20-30cm tall. The cones grow on a short spike from the base of the plant. In tropical areas the plant will grow all year around but in cooler climates goes dormant in winter. Plant in part shade, soil should be well drained and moist. This ginger will grow well in full sun as well in the subtropics and tropics, but foliage will be a lighter green and some sunburn might occur during very hot weather. Does not tolerate frost. In Australia it will grow as far south as Sydney. This makes an excellent, long lasting cut flower.

By | 2016-03-19T04:15:55-07:00 March 19th, 2016|Tropical Plants|0 Comments
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Whitefly

We suspect the small specks are whiteflies (Do you notice them flying when you touch the leaves?) Could be Aleurotrachelus trachoides (whitefly). can't be 100% sure on the species without ID in person. If you want to know for sure they can either take it to UH extension office or the Hawaii Department of Agriculture Hilo office for ID. Spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap to try organic products that are direct contact controls. Another organic remedy is Spinosad that has a 7-10 day residual. Spray in the early evening after the bees have returned to their hives. Once the spray has dried on the foliage, it is safe for beneficials. Here's more information: https://insects.tamu.edu/extension/publications/html/b6127.html.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:18-07:00 March 19th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Rose

You have a Rose Bush. However, the mossy looking appendage on your Rose is called a Mossy Gall. It is the plants reaction to an insect, disease or mite. The damage causes the plant to change the course of normal growth. It modifies growing tissue into a special swelling that surrounds the gall-maker. In the case of mossy rose galls it is a small cynipid wasp. This Rose has the scars from previous galls. There is no treatment once a gall has formed.

Your rose has dead wood that needs to be removed. Here's some information on general rose care, including pruning tips - http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1725.html

Here's more information on Mossy Rose Gall - http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2008/7-2/mossyrosegall.html

By | 2016-03-19T00:09:43-07:00 March 19th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Starfish Flower Carrion Flower

Stapelia gettleffii is a native to southeastern Botswana, South Africa, southern Zimbabwe. This plant is one of the Stapeliads, with blooms that resemble starfish. It is also called carrion flower. It is a succulent plant and thrives in well-drained soil with water only when the soil feels dry up to the first knuckle of your index finger. Provide partial sun or filtered light. Since it is a carrion plant, when blooming it smells like rotting meat or a dead animal to attract flies for pollination. This particular species actually looks like a hairy dead animal as well. Protect from freezing temperatures. Easy to propagate from cuttings. Allow cutting to callus over for 2-3 days and plant in a commercial cactus potting soil in a container with drainage holes.

By | 2016-03-18T23:26:31-07:00 March 18th, 2016|Succulents|0 Comments
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