do brown bugs turn into Fruit(?) Flies

lindsay

Hi Bonsai People,

I was given a Cherry Bonsai for Christmas and it seems to be healthy and growing well but there are two things I am concerned about right now.

- I have seen tiny little brown bugs in the soil and also what look like Fruit Flies, (only 2 so far, that I've seen that is). Are the little bugs turning into the Fruit Fly and how can I get rid of them as nicely as possible?

- There was some moss around the base of the tree trunk when I first got it but this has now almost gone, (the air is very dry in my apartment), and is slowly being replaced by what I think is some kind of fungus. It's a yellowy-white colour and if you touch it, it is damp and dries out hard and crusty on your finger (nice). This one is concerning me most as it starting to form on the tree trunk base. How do I get rid of this too?

Any information that will point me in the right direction would be great.

Thankyou
Lindsay

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Jay

Lindsay, Hi..., I am not familiar with the Cherry Bonsai you have, but here are a few thoughts. One is it an OK indoor tree? As for the moss turning into fungus... this is not good. Your are correct your place is far to dry. You must try and increase the moisture in the area of the tree. Remove the moss/fungus carefully. you can use an old tooth brush (cleaned of the tooth paste) to lightly brush the tree. next time the tree needs to be watered you could submerge the tree for 5 minutes, this will possible get rid of the bugs in the soil.
Also wait for advise from someone more versed in these problems. Good luck,jay

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lindsay

Hi Jay,

Thank you for the pointers. The interim cleaning and watering will take place over the weekend along with a trip to the book store. (I'm having problems finding information about the Cherry online). Hopefully then by the end of the weekend I'll know much more about my Cherry Tree.

Oh, and regarding the dry air in my apartment, (and this may seem like a daft question but here goes), would there be any adverse effects to purchasing a humidifier and placing it near my tree?

Lindsay

Jay

A humidifier is a good thing... If the room/house is very dry it is not healthy for the tree of for you. If you do not mind the cost of the humidifier and the cost to run it, then do it!

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Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

TreeBay

Hi Lindsay. This is probably not a true Cherry (Prunus sp.) but a Barbados Cherry or [i:e860ce613c]Malpighia[/i:e860ce613c].

There's some info on Malpighia cultivation over at BCI Species Index or you could check the web for photos. True Cherry bonsai are rare because the leaves are large and the flowering period is brief.

Regards,

Matt

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lindsay

Hi Matt,

Thankyou for the information on Cherry's. I am starting to narrow down what it could be and getting much more detail on how to care for it.

I think you're right about it not being a true Cherry as the leaves are not large enough.

Thanks again, and thanks to Jay too for your help. I'm hoping this will turn into a success story....

Lindsay

jhill

Hi Lindsay,
My guess is that it is a Eugenia (brush cherry) If you had a pic of it would be of great help. As for the little bugs it sounds like you are keeping the soil to wet. They will eventually turn into little flies. I had them on one of my ficus. I was watering them to much. Submersion sounds like a good idea. I let the soil dry and watched my watering habits and presto they were gone.
John

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lindsay

Hi John,

Yeah, I think you are right about the soil. Since my first posting, I have submerged my tree and brown bugs and flies seem to have gone. I do still have tiny little white ones in the soil but through a bit of research I found that they love the damp. So now I have a wooden cuticle pusher, (yeah, I know but it works), in the soil so I can better gauge the moisture level. The fungal regrowth is slowing too.

I'll get a photo that I can post, it's kinda tough matching an object with it's written description, so if you could take a look, that would be great.

Thankyou John

Lindsay

Moni

Those are probably fungus gnats in the soil. They just love damp soil. There are a couple of ways to get rid of them. There is a form of BT that will work as a soil drench. Or just try sticky yellow traps. Or scrap off the top 1" of soil. The larva form can damage the roots. Not good.
O.K. everyone. I'm new at this computer stuff. If I did this wrong, let me know.
Best wishes
Moni