Yellow Spots On Camellia Leaves

/Yellow Spots On Camellia Leaves/

Yellow Spots On Camellia Leaves

Sorry for the delay in responding to your Camellia problem. We spent some time on this but cannot say definitively what the cause is. Camellias are susceptible to various diseases, including Oedema (wart like spots that develop on leaves due to environmental conditions), viral pathogen that can cause yellow "mosaic" patterns in leaves, (but yours doesn't really look like that one), and fungal diseases (algal leaf spot). We are also wondering if this could be the result of something applied to or near the plant, like a pesticide or liquid fertilizer, or a weed control product? The best way for you to get a good answer, and what we recommend, is that you take this picture and a plant sample (in a sealed bag) to a garden center, or to your local Dept of Agriculture office, or to your local Master Gardner's Group or to your local farm & home advisor's office (this is one link we found from NCSU - you may be able to find one close to you). Please let us know what you find out! http://wake.ces.ncsu.edu/

By | 2016-02-27T07:50:37-08:00 February 27th, 2016|Plant Diseases|1 Comment
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Variegation

Your Vinca plant is a variegated variety and has been bred to display the creamy-white markings on the foliage. Although variegation is technically a virus it is not harmful and is often a desirable feature bred in many plants. So nothing is wrong with your plant. Often the white portions that are heavily variegated can sunburn and if the new growth is all white and lacking green foliage (no chlorophyll present), as pictured with a couple of the stems on your plant, these stems will often not grow properly and eventually desiccate due to the lack of chlorophyll available for appropriate growth. Stems that are solid white and lacking chlorophyll can be removed (cut back) and easily corrected. Sometimes variegated plants revert and lose their variegation by essentially being given the ability to grow out of the virus. This can be avoided by trimming any stems with foliage that has reverted to solid green leaves. Variegation if usually very desirable and makes some plants more valuable.

By | 2016-02-27T06:58:55-08:00 February 27th, 2016|Perennials|0 Comments
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Overwatering Or Underwatering

Overwatering and underwatering exhibit the same symptoms. If it's underwatering, you need to give it more water. If it's overwatering, there could also be some sort of fungal infection going on. That will clog up the water vessels and prevent them from conducting the water that the shrub needs. If you can, get under the shrub and dig down about 6 inches . You should be able to judge then what your water situation is. Another possibility is that you have very heavy (clay-like) soil and the water is not percolating down through the soil and the shrub is sitting in a bathtub like environment and the plant cannot breathe; it is drowning. Ceanothus should not need more than occasional watering besides rainfall. It also look like there is considerable undergrowth. You might want to consider trimming these shrubs back in the spring. Trim the previous season's growth by about one-third in spring. More if needed.

By | 2016-02-27T06:00:54-08:00 February 27th, 2016|Ground Cover Plants|0 Comments
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Powdery Mildew On Lilacs

Powdery mildew is very common on lilac and once you have it difficult to completely get rid of it. Good air circulation is important. After it blooms next year, remove 1/3 of the oldest branches as far down as you can cut it. That might help but isn't a cure. Clean up any leaves this fall and place in garbage. Spray with an organic fungicide labeled for powdery mildew as soon as the plant begins to leaf out in the spring. Just follow the directions.

The good news is that powdery mildew doesn't kill lilacs. It's always worse in dry summers because heavy rains wash some of the mildew spores off - in fact, studies done at Cornell several years back showed that a hard stream of water on the leaves of lilacs once a week was as effective as commercial fungicides! Most people decide to just think of their plants as having gray leaves in late summer, however. If it really bothers you, give the lilac away and plant one of the flowering shrubs that doesn't get leaf diseases.

By | 2016-02-27T03:53:29-08:00 February 27th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Leaf Spot On Sage

Is the entire plant showing these symptoms or only some of the older leaves? If it's the entire plant, or a great deal of the plant, it's likely that it's getting too much water. Sage leaves yellow if the plant is being kept too wet and plants that are getting splashed with water on a frequent basis are likely to develop leaf-spot fungus.

Sage does best when grown in full sun and watered once a week, fairly deeply. Most plants don't do well if hand-watered or under irrigation where the foliage is splashed with water frequently.

If it's only a few leaves that look this way clip them off, and the plant is growing in the ground and not a pot, water the plant deeply only once a week, watering in the morning so that the foliage will dry. If the plant is in a container let it dry out a bit in between waterings - if the nights are cool, for example, you'll only need to water this plant every two or three days. Make sure the pot has an open drainage hole - most plants don't like to grow in pots without a drainage hole.

By | 2016-02-27T01:54:51-08:00 February 27th, 2016|Herbs|0 Comments
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Moth Orchid Care Notes

Here are a few care tips for your moth orchid, (Phalaenopsis species): This is a very drought tolerant orchid. Because it's leaves are succulent, it can also tolerate normal household humidity. Moth orchids bloom once or twice a year. In between they'll produce a few new leaves. Don't expect them to bloom continuously. How often are you feeding them? In winter (slow growth time) they don't really need food. If your orchids are potted in bark, once a week thorough watering is good. If they are potted in sphagnum moss, then push your finger into the moss and if it feels to the touch, it's time to water. Feed with a slow release or organic fertilizer formulated for blooming container plants and provide bright, indirect light indoors. Do not allow the plant to sit in water as this may lead to root rot. It is best to water in the sink, flush out any excess salt build-up, allow to drain out completely before setting it back on a saucer. The wrinkling of the older blooms is a natural process of the flower's aging.

By | 2016-02-27T00:17:05-08:00 February 27th, 2016|House Plants|0 Comments
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Prunus Issue

It is hard to make a positive ID from this photo but it looks like it could be 1 of 2 things: overwatering as you mention or a nutrient deficiency (possibly Iron). You might want to ease up on frequent shallow irrigation and choose to do a deep soak less frequently. A slow drip of the hose around the drip line of the plant for up to an hour maybe once per week while the weather is mild. Regarding the nutrient deficiency; 2 things could be occurring if this is the issue: either A-the soil is deficient in this mineral. If that is the case, you might want to invest in a high quality complete fertilizer with micronutrients and apply following directions on the label. Or B-the type of soil you have and particularly the soil pH is not allowing the plant to take up the nutrients that it needs to look healthy. There are soil pH kits available for purchase if you are curious. Here is a link to an article that you might find interesting:
http://www.hrt.msu.edu/assets/PagePDFs/bert-cregg/Homewoners-guide-to-fertilziation.pdf

By | 2016-02-26T22:10:46-08:00 February 26th, 2016|Shrubs|0 Comments
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Leaf Miner

This damage appears to be caused by a leaf miner. A small fly or moth lays its eggs beneath the surface of the leaf and when the eggs hatch, the larvae tunnel thru the leaf tissue, consuming the nutrients in the foliage. Once the damage has been done, nothing will reverse it. Chemical pesticides are not effective against this pest because most products won't penetrate thru the leaf surface although organic products containing Spinosad have often
worked to prevent further infestation. If you do use Spinosad, spray in the early evening after the bees have returned to their hives. Once the spray is dry it is safe for beneficials. However, once the damage has been done to the leaf, it is not
reversible. Usually the damage done by these insects is not going to kill the plant unless the damage is extensive. If the infestation is extensive. Here is a link that you might find helpful:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/PESTS/vegleafminers.html

By | 2016-02-26T17:06:23-08:00 February 26th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Lime Tree Leaf Problem

There could be a number of problems causing your tree to drop leaves and being non-productive. First though, you'll want to remove the dead leaves from the soil in case they are diseased so they don't infect the soil. You may want to keep several of the leaves in a closed container in case you decide to have a nursery or the local extension agency examine them under magnification. All plants experience some level of transplant shock, that may be part of the problem. However, there is most likely several other issues that need to be checked. Here are some websites with great information on lime tree care and diseases. The first website resource covers growing tips and problems and is very informative - http://citrus.myindoorgreenspot.com/icitrus.htm
The second website is from the University of California and has pictures of actual disease processes and insect damage - http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/C107/m107bpleaftwigdis.html

By | 2016-02-26T16:17:27-08:00 February 26th, 2016|Plant Diseases|0 Comments
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Chewing Pests

Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding! There aren't many chewing pests of Plumeria, that we know of, except for cutworm larva (caterpillars). So we recommend you examine the plant for those. We've included a link with more info. (please note that this link recommends chemical products called Diazinon and another called Dursban, but we don't recommend these as they are known to pollute CA watersheds and have toxic affects on aquatic organisms). We recommend caterpillar control products that contain Bacilus thurengiensis or Bt - you can get this at most garden centers. Its possible this chewing pest might be snail/slugs. We've included a link with more info about snails/slugs, how to trap them, where to look for them in your yard/garden, what active ingredients you should look for in a bait product (and ingredients NOT to use), and etc.
https://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/images/pcb1_2.pdf
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/snailsslugscard.html

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:22-07:00 February 26th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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