Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Ficus problem







I wanted a new ficus tree for the studio and got this one 2 or 3 months ago.  It was losing leaves, but that's not untypical with moving a ficus.

But then I began to realize that it was not only continuing to drop leaves, but many of them were yellowed.

I also noticed that there were white "spots" on many of the leaves, and as you can see in the bottom picture, some brown "bumps" on the leaves and stems.

Unfortunately, I found out that this is an infestation of scale, which is a bug I've never encountered before.  I'm also finding out that it is hard to treat.

I've been spraying it with a solution of oil soap and alcohol in water, and it looks a bit healthier with some new leaf growth.  But I still find some signs of the scale.

All suggestions for treatment will be appreciated!


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