We’re talking with customers everyday who are concerned that they have a fungus on their plants. My first thought is that it would be rare to have fungus this time of year since its so warm, windy, and dry. It’s much more likely to be a bug. Here’s how to identify and control.
Is it white and cottony on the stems and flower buds? If so, you have Mealybugs! They show up in the Summer on Hibiscus, Jatropha, Purslane, Salvia and many more of our plants. You can treat with organic Spinosad soap or Bee Safe 3-in1 Garden Spray – be sure to spray in the evening due to our high temperatures. We recommend spraying the plant once a week for 3 weeks.
Do your leaves look brown and speckled? Sounds and looks like a fungus, but this time of year, its most likely lace bugs on the underside of leaves. They are notorious for attacking Lantana. We’ve even seen some lace bugs on Zinnias and Persimmon trees this Summer. We recommend you cut your plants back one third to half, fertilize and then spray with organic Spinosad soap.
Do your Crape Myrtles look black and sooty? This is a tricky one: black sooty mold is a fungus, but it’s caused by insects. Aphids, scale insects, and whitefly leave behind a sticky residue (called “honeydew”) that black sooty mold grows on. If you kill the bug, then the soot goes away. Each of these can be controlled with organic Spinosad soap or Bee Safe 3-in-1 Garden Spray.
-DeAnna
Ro says
My Plumerias have brown stains on their leaves which eventually makes them crinkle and drop off.
DeAnna says
Is it rust colored dots on the back of the leaves? If it is, that is called rust which is fungus. We are seeing lots of it now on Plumeria. You can spray with Neem oil in the evening or Liquid Systemic spray. Any leaves that drop be sure to gather them up and throw them away.