HELP 2 TYPES OF BUGS eating my Chinese ELM!

eeiko321

hi guys

its kinda embarassing posting this message...



i just checked my Chinese Elm...and i was always wondering why the leaves had 50% browning on the tips. i first thought it was it drying out in the heat...

but then i noticed some leaves being chewed up by bite marks.


when i looked with a magnifying glass.... i saw little green bugs...
im thinking they might be Aphids. they may be the one causing the Semi-Browning leaves?

and then i saw 2 small little caterpillar with really long greyish/black furr & a few eggs.

i instantly squashed those caterpillars... but the aphids...


what should i do guys?
ive just put a bottle of soapy water and sprayed the hell out of the tree....and got my fingers crossed...


but the LAST question is...what should i do with the infected leaves?...the half browning leaves and the ones with chew marks...

should i just cut them off...cause they look UGLY.... and its pointless having them on right?

thanks heaps
let me know everyone

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BunjinEnt

The browning, I suspect, is from the heat and arid conditions. The bugs..there are hundreds of threads describing various techniques in dealing with bugs on this site. Go to: PESTS AND DISEASES and search this thread for your bug of choice.


Hope this helps,

-Wm

newt1

The soap should kill them. You will have to apply at least 3 times 5 days apart to ensure you get them all. You can also add a cap full or two of rubbing alcohol to the sprayer each time you spray as this will dry up soft bodies insects. As for the leaves just let the tree deside what to do with them, the tree is already stressed from the insect attack so do not defoliate.

Newt

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eeiko321

are you sure 5 days is adequate enough?...i thought 3 is better...
unless it stresses out the tree...
im gonna try some systemic insecticide...
rubbing alcahol...is that just metholated spirits?...or is it those aneasthetic wipes etc that comes in abottle....like that alligator brand one...

damn too late, i just couldnt bare to see the leaves liek that...i cut them all off....what should i do now then.....make sure theres adequate watering?

is there any disadvantages of the systemic insecticides?i heard they work very well....but someone said it leaves a white milky deposit in the soil


are you sure?, because ive read in a book and saw a simillar picture...that those brown marks are fungal infections due to pests...
browning of the entire leaf and shrivelling....is a sign of heat & moisture loss

BunjinEnt

well, I would suggest post a photo and let's take a look, but alas, you have cut them all off. I have only cut off fire blight on a crab last year. But usually when the infestation is gone, the infections rectify. But who knows what kinds of bugs and infections you have in AU. Everything else down there is poisonous...

Get rid of the bugs, stop fertilizing until it breaks bud and keep in partial shade until the leaves harden off. Fert only half strength ferts. Bugs (microscopic or insects) love high nitrogen and new foliage. You're in the middle of summer. protect that tree.

Hope this helps.

-Wm

BTW-Chinese Elms are resiliant I wouldn't lose sleep.

newt1

"are you sure 5 days is adequate enough?...i thought 3 is better...
unless it stresses out the tree...
im gonna try some systemic insecticide...
rubbing alcahol...is that just metholated spirits?...or is it those aneasthetic wipes etc that comes in abottle....like that alligator brand one...

damn too late, i just couldnt bare to see the leaves liek that...i cut them all off....what should i do now then.....make sure theres adequate watering?"

The number of days is not too important, just make sure you re-apply, do not think that one application of this type is enough.

Sorry I misspelled it: rubbing alcohol. I do not know what metholated spirits are? Rubbing alcohol is used to disinfect and it also dried very quickly (thus dehydrating soft bodied insects). It is just alcohol that has an additive that will make you sick if you drink it.

Do not overwater it now that it has no leaves. The tree will be using less water now.

I would not bother with the systemic unless this does not work.

Newt

__________________
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!

Check out my blog: http://knowledgeofbonsai.org/eric_newton/

Connection with gardens, even small ones, even potted plants, can become windows to the inner life. The simple act of stopping and looking at the beauty around us can be prayer. -Patricia R. Barrett

eeiko321

heya

ive bought some systemic insecticide today just incase...i might just use the soap for now...ill wait a couple of days

what ive wondered is, HOW MUCH water does ELMS actually need?

my 2 other trees, juniper and ficus, seem happy i water them daily since its summer.
but the elm looks a bit ill.......im guessing its due to the recent insect attack and its just recovering.

but ill have to take a picture of the browning leaves....

PatArizona

"...im gonna try some systemic insecticide..."

Best to not...as in NO, NOT, NEVER...ever use any commercial insecticide that is not recommended (on the label) for the SPECIFIC pest and the SPECIFIC plant...

You could end up killing a host of benificial ensects.

Also bad for the environment.

Pat

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eeiko321

well on there it says APHIDS, scale insects & other sap sucking insects