Plant Pests

/Plant Pests

Scale Insects Severe Infestation

This is a pretty bad infestation of sap sucking insects called scale. We haven't ID'd to species, but they are damaging the plant and will cause black sooty mold to grow. The insects excrete a sugary, sticky excrement called honeydew that is a perfect "food" for the sooty mold fungus to grow in. The sooty mold spores exist in the environment and won't kill the plant but will cut back on photosynthesis in the affected leaves. The bigger issue is the number of scale insects. They are difficult to control with pesticides because the adult insect body (the egg laying reproduction stages) are protected under the outer covering you see, and some contact-type products are not effective. If these are soft scale, a horticultural oil will usually work, but spray in the early evening to prevent sun scald. Otherwise you'll need a systemic pesticide that they will be taken up by the insects when they suck out the plant sap. Make sure it is formulated for your tree however. However, we also recommend you prune out the most infected branches (being careful to prune properly and for aesthetic value) to reduce the amount of pesticide you'll need to use and to reduce the number of pests that can reproduce. We've included a link with general info about controlling scale insects from the Univeristy of CA.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/QT/scalescard.html

By | 2016-01-12T09:48:16-08:00 January 12th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Harlequin Bugs

The harlequin bug is a southern insect ranging from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This insect is rarely found north of Colorado and Pennsylvania. It first spread over the south from Mexico shortly after the Civil War.
A generation of the harlequin bug requires 50 to 80 days. The life cycle consists of three stages: egg, nymph and adult. Harlequin bugs pass the winter as adults and true hibernation is doubtful.
Nymphs: There are five or six nymphal instars that feed and grow for four to nine weeks before they are capable of mating and laying eggs. The head coloration of the nymphs ranges from pale orange (in 1st instar), darker (in 2nd to 4th) to black (in 5th instar). Antennae of first instars are colorless and become darker to black with each progressive molt. The thorax ranges from pale orange in 1st instars to a final pattern of scarlet, white, yellow and black in the 5th or 6th instars. The abdomen coloration progresses similarly to that of the thorax, getting more showy with each progressive molt.

Plants commonly attacked by the harlequin bug include such crucifers as horseradish, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, mustard, Brussels sprouts, turnip, kohlrabi and radish. In the absence of these favorite hosts, tomato, potato, eggplant, okra, bean, asparagus, beet, weeds, fruit trees and field crops may be eaten.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 12th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Leaf Miners

This looks a severe case of leaf miner damage. These are tiny caterpillars of a small, brownish moth that tunnel into a leaf and eat it during their larval stage. They are usually easy to spot because they leave a trail or tunnel inside the leaf. But when there are too many, the damage forms a continuous look much like this. They are difficult to control, but here are some options:

Monitor plant leaves closely. At the first sign of tunneling, squeeze the leaf at the tunnel between two fingers to crush any larvae. Done soon enough, this killing larvae can allow plants to survive minor outbreaks. Pick off and destroy badly infested leaves in small gardens.

Use floating row covers to prevent fly stage from laying eggs on leaves.

Use yellow sticky traps to catch egg laying adults. Cover soil under infested plants with plastic mulches to prevent larvae from reaching the ground and pupating.

Organic neem oil will break the pestsäó» life-cycle by preventing larva from reaching maturity. Neem oil may also have repellent qualities and interfere with egg laying activities.

By | 2016-01-12T06:35:47-08:00 January 12th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Squash Bugs Or Squash Vine Borers

It is hard to tell what particular pest destroyed your squash plants. Squash Vine Borers and Squash bugs,and can easily destroy your plants.

Squash Bug Adults look like long brown stink bugs, with a flat abdomen. Nymphs are pale green to grey with a black head and legs. Older nymphs are covered in a grey powder. The eggs are oval, dark brown, and shiny, and are layed in clusters. Once they become numerous they are almost impossible to stop. Check with your local organic garden center for the best way to proceed.

Squash vine borer adults look like black wasps with red markings, they lay single eggs that hatch out as larva-- they look similar to a cream colored caterpillar. These larva tunnel into the crown and stems of the plant, and proceed to eat the juicy green inner plant tissue. The plant suddenly looks wilted and if the larva is allowed to go unchecked, can kill the plant in 3-4 days. Do daily checks of the crown areas, your looking for what appears to be piles of wet saw dust, this is actually frass, caterpillar poop. This is where they enter the stem and began to eat. If caught early you can gently cut a slit in the stem and pluck the culprit out.

By | 2016-01-11T19:11:32-08:00 January 11th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Fungus Gnats

Without seeing the insects more clearly we cannot be positive, but from your description they might be fungus gnats. If you see the adult insects fly away when you water, this is another indication that they are probably fungus gnats. Resembling fruit flies, their larvae feed on organic matter in the soil, and damage the roots of young seedlings. Soil that is kept constantly wet is especially susceptible to fungus gnats. To break the cycle and to keep the adults from laying eggs in the soil, reduce watering as much as possible without damaging the plant and cover with a layer of horticultural sand available at your local garden center (do not use beach sand). You can also use yellow sticky traps (again available at your local nursery) to capture the adults. The larvae in the soil are killed by putting Spinosad in the watering can. Spinosad is the active bacteria, an organic treatment so fine for edible herbs, and it's available in a variety of products at your local garden center.

The combination of yellow sticky cards and Spinosad is very effective. There are a couple of other products that are applied on the surface of house plants that also treat this problem organically. Ask at your garden center if you'd like to explore those options.

By | 2016-01-11T08:11:02-08:00 January 11th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Rose Issues

It looks as if there are a few things going on here.
It is hard to see clearly but there is probably a fungal leaf spot disease. It is difficult to tell from this photo which one it might be but both are treated more or less the same: No overhead watering, remove and properly (do not compost) dispose of all affected plant parts and litter, provide the plant with it's optimum growing environment (full sun; rich,well-draining soil; fertilizer formulated for roses; enough water to sustain the plant). Here is a link that might be helpful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/DISEASES/leafspotdis.html
The way the rose is withering suggests not enough water. You would be the one who would know that.
By the looks of the photo, there may not have been enough amending of the soil to ensure the success of the rose plants. Also, the weeds compete with the roses for water and nutrients in the soil. The weeds are best removed.
Her a couple of other links that you might find helpful: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7465.html
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/rose.html

By | 2016-01-09T22:53:52-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Anthracnose Andor Insect Pests

Please accept our apologies for the delay in responding! Peeling or flaking bark is normal for Sycamore trees. However, the leaves are commonly infected with a fungal disease called Anthracnose, which causes leaves at the branch tips to turn brown, starting at the tips of individual leaves. There are also several species of insects that commonly feed on the leaves. (Some of them, if in high enough numbers can also cause visible damage). Most of these are hard to see without a magnifying lens. So, of course, there could be both disease and insects affecting this plant. From what we can see of the leaves on the tree in this photo (although the photo you sent previously appeared green and healthy), it does look like there could be anthracnose. We recommend using a magnifying lens to examine the leaves (on both sides of the leaf) to see if you can find any insects. We've included a link about Sycamore so that you can compare what you see/find to the descriptions and photos of the various possibilities. In addition, you can take samples (sealed a bag) to your local Dept of Agriculture office and they will typically send you a response for free. They will want samples of the brown leaves (for anthracnose), and samples of any insects you find, because one problem goes to the pathologist and the other goes to the entomologist for ID.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/sycamore.html

By | 2016-01-09T18:01:05-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Grasses As Weeds

This is a grass, and most likely would be considered a weed. It is generally best to simply yank it, knowing it isn't something desirable for your garden. Its going to be hard to kill it any other way without killing your good grasss. We recommend you dig up a "bunch" and take it to your local garden center for accurate ID and find out if they can recommend a product. If there's not a product, we recommend you dig these weedy grasses out of the lawn (make sure to get all of it, and as much of the root systems as possible - this is easiest to do when the soil is moist) and re-seed with the same grass spieces as your turfgrass. If you decide to go this route, you'll need to be diligent with keeping the soil and new seedling grass moist until its well established. Also, you'll want to be prepared to re-seed immediately after taking out the weedy grass so that you don't leave bare spots for other weed seeds to grow in. Alternately, if you have a creeping turfgrass, like bermuda or something, you can encourage it to fill in the bare spots left after removing the weeds by keeping the soil/grass moist and fertilizing AND pulling any other weeds (right away) that pop up while its trying to fill in.

By | 2017-09-11T15:49:28-07:00 January 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Aphids On Leafy Vegetables

These look like aphids. They will typically feed on the newest plant growth. You can identify Aphids (with a magnifying lens) by the two "cornicles" (structures that look like tiny tailpipes) extending from the rear. If you see the cornicles, you would want to control these insects with a pesticidal soap if this plant were growing outdoors, available at your local garden center or wash off with a strong stream of water. However, in a greenhouse this is a nightmare and you should destroy the plant by taking it outside into the cold. These insects reproduce rapidly (giving live birth, rather than laying eggs), so you can also narrow the possible insect species down if you see that some of them are smaller versions of the larger ones. Sometimes an adult will develop wings and they look a bit different than the rest, but they'll still have the "tailpipes". Also, the white bits are probably the cast-off exoskeletons of aphids, while the green or grayish moving creatures are the aphids themselves.Although the white bits are out of focus and may be whitefly. Here is a link that you might find helpful:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html

By | 2016-01-09T02:34:22-08:00 January 9th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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Fruit Rot On Cucurbit Family

Current recommendations:

1. Select an area in the garden where Phytophthora blight has never occurred when possible. The fungus that affects cucurbits can also cause blight in pepper and fruit rot in eggplant.
2. Select well-drained gardens locations.
3. Physically separate plantings of susceptible veggies(cucurbits, pepper, eggplant, and tomato). Plantings should be located such that there is no opportunity for water to move from one planting to another.
4. Clean garden tools and disinfect after use by spraying Lysol.
5. Avoid over irrigating. Given the amount of rain in recent weeks in Florida, fruit rot would be expected and following the suggestions here should help a little -- not stop it but help a little. Do not irrigate at night time when temperatures are above 70ŒÁ F.
6. Fungicides have provided minimal control. Copper fungicides can provide some control. A preventive spray program is expected to be more effective than waiting until symptoms occur.
7. Inspect your garden plot for symptoms routinely, especially after major rain storms.
8. Do not discard cull fruit in the garden, including fruit that are healthy but over-sized or over-ripe.

By | 2016-01-08T20:09:29-08:00 January 8th, 2016|Plant Pests|0 Comments
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