What's up with Serissa leaves

JLK

Hey Guys,
My Serissa is about 3 years old and has been a healthy plant. Is inside with good light (albeit Northern exposure) and flowered nicely this fall.
Kept at 68 F daytime, 60 F night, misted sometimes 2-3 times per day. Recently fertilized with 1/2 strength MiracleGro.
Recently, I've noted a lot of leaves starting to turn brow at the tip (see photo).
No obvious bugs? Is it a fungus from being to anal-retentative about misting?
Thanks

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Hi JLK,

I have the exact same problem, with the exact same leafs and exact same worries. I didn't know what had happened, until yesterday morning, when I saw a reddish centipede running across the soil of the tree (and vanishing in the ground).

It might be that thingy. Try to soak the plant, when it's dry (I've got this response to my question under the "Bugs/Diseases" thread), and then the Centipede will come to the surface.

But if it's not the problem, please tell me if you've found out something more, 'cause my Serissa is seriously getting those leaves on your photo.

Bye
Milly

rachel_kay

Hi JLK & Milly, I have the same problem too with my serissa. Yours could be due to Red Spider Mites - is there 'dust' on the leaves? The test is to shake the leaves over a sheet of white paper and if there are red dots - and you can smear them, then you have spider mites. You can treat these with insecticide - always check they are ok for your plant first.

I know it's not spider mites in my case, I've done the test and I've had them before on another tree so know what to look for I still don't have any ideas though.

Serissas are also very temperamental - moving them, changes in temperature, light etc can cause them to drop their leaves. I haven't moved it lately.

If anyone has any ideas, please let me know!

Thanks
Rachel

durandal

This seems to be a common problem, because I also have a very sick looking serissa!

From the day I bought it, about 3/4 years ago, lots of leaves always die (going yellow then black, or simply shrivelling up). It's looking particularly ill at the moment, as the 'tree' is looking very, er, shrivelly with a sparse head of leaves.

The tree originally came in almost solid clay (which we washed off and repotted immediately), doesn't seem to have any problem with spider mites, centipedes or anything, or any fungus. I know these plants are tempramental, as moving them could cause this sort of thing. However, the plant's been in the same room for a year.

Could it be that the room's too hot? (It's south facing, so the sun really heats up the room in summer; and it's also a 'computer room' so the computers add to the heat as well.)

Are serissa's acid or alkaline lovers? We tend to water the tree using our VERY hard alkaline tap water - could this also be the problem?

Also, we now feed the plant Baby Bio nearly every week or so.

Please help me! (And the rest of us!)

MINATOR

lots of leaves on my tree go like the ones on the picture , they dont go black on the end though.
I [i:4c83c816dd]think[/i:4c83c816dd] if the end of the leves go black it means that your over watering them , is any of your branches black as well?

My tree look very healthy but the leves go yellow like i said , the tree doesnt look like its loseing many leaves (it doesnt look like it has few leaves) but i think it grows as much as it loses.
if your tree looks sickly or the ends are going black try and serch the internet and find out things , but i think the people with the yellow leaves are OK , if all these Serrissa's are doing it i think its normal , ask Treebay , but better safe then sorry so serch the internet as well , i have been and it only tells the info about the tree and not about the problems these trees get alot

~MINATOR