They're dying!!

11 years ago

Greetings everyone!
I need some help. I have a 2 year-old Plumeria that I planted as a cane. It's had its ups and downs, but has always recovered. This new issue is really worrying me though. Over the last 5 months, I have noticed these teeny little brown, speck-sized, angular bugs taking over the undersides of the leaves as well as where the leaves join to the cane. They almost seem to burrow into the cane as well, but they're so tiny it's hard for me to tell. I also noticed that I have tiny flies that come out of the dirt. I am wondering if the evil little bugs are larvae that hatch into the flies.
These bugs are slowly killing off the leaves of my plumeria. The leaves get crispy and brown, starting at the tips and moving toward the cane, often in spotty patterns. The leaves go limp and fall off. I have been spraying the bugs with Seven, to no effect, so I moved up to a very heavy duty insecticide, also to no effect.
What would you recommend I try next?? I'm considering moving the plant into the bathroom and just hosing her down every couple days, and completely replacing the soil. Any other thoughts on what these evil little creatures are and how I can prevent them destroying my beautiful girl?

Thanks so much for your help!

Featured Answer

missingtheobvious

11 years ago

Disclaimer: I've never grown plumeria, but I do know some of the critters which may be infesting your plant. And nobody's answered you yet. [If you don't get a more knowledgeable answer than mine, you might try GW's House Plants forum.]

If the tiny bugs on the undersides of the leaves don't move, you may have scale (aka "scale insects"). [How tiny are they? And how angular?]

Are there suggestions of webs? If you hold a piece of white paper under the leaves and tap the leaves, do nearly-invisible reddish spots fall onto the paper? If so, you probably have spider mites. They suck the plant's juices, stealing the plant's energy.

The "tiny flies in the dirt" are fungus gnats (aka fruit flies). They love damp potting mix, and lay their eggs there. The larvae feed on the plant's roots, stealing the plant's energy.

If you see any white fuzzy stuff near the growing points, you may have mealybugs. They like to eat new tissue, and also infest roots: again, stealing the plant's energy.

Do you have other houseplants? They may need to be treated also, or the undesirables may return to your plumeria.

Take a look at these:
https://www.mauiplumeriagardens.com/images/pcb1_2.pdf

http://www.paliplumies.com/plumeria_Insects.html

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130227145642AARxIPn

http://www.ehow.com/info_8399364_bugs-plumeria-plants.html

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Comments (7)

jandey1
11 years ago
Hillary, since it's now winter, you may want to just cut all the leaves off and seal them in a plastic bag to throw away.

Then to treat the trunk and branches against the bugs--and I'm sorry I don't know what those could be from your description--try spraying or rubbing down with neem oil. You may need to apply every two or three days for a couple of weeks to get the bugs through their life cycle.

Missingtheobvious is right about the fungus gnats. They're a problem when you have your plants indoors. Worm castings seem to repel them, but there may be much better repellants for them. I would scrape away the top couple of inches of the soil and throw it out in a sealed plastic bag to get the bugs and their eggs. Then replace that with a sterile ground cover like coir or peat.

Good luck!
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the_first_kms2
11 years ago
I second Jandey's recommendation. Also would recommend stopping any watering for about a month to let the soil dry out. Then evaluate if it needs water or is in hibernation.
HilaryMT
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you all for your input! I'll give those methods a try. Most of the plant's leaves have now fallen off, but it continues to start new ones from the center of the single stalk. I would try to post pictures of the bugs, but they're too tiny for my camera to focus on. They seem to be about 1mm long, and are thin and dark brown. They prefer the underside of the leaves. They sort of look like tiny flecks of eraser rubbing scraps, but brown instead of pink!
HilaryMT
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi all,
Here's a photo of one of the pests that was wreaking havoc on my plumeria. I have since flushed it thoroughly with water several times a week, and will soon change the soil and repot. What do you think this bugger is??
Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
11 years ago
Hi Hillary!!!

Looks like Thrips to me..

I posted a pic..

Bayer 3 in 1 will help.. It is also a a systemic. So it will help kill any larvae in the soil.. Follow the directions.. :-)

Good luck!!

Laura

This post was edited by loveplants2 on Tue, Jan 6, 15 at 22:21
HilaryMT
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you! Once I saw one up close, I figured that's what it was. Now they die!!!!!

PS: I replanted and re-sprayed my plumeria last night. She's looking MUCH better and has already opened up two new leaves since mid-December.