Hello! Are you sure there are mites on the Pachira? Can you take a picture of the droplets? These plants do secrete sticky droplets through guttation....so it could be normal, unless you've seen the mites or their webbing. I'd advise spraying with Neem oil for mites.

Now is a great time to begin re-potting Pachira. I've (almost) always worked on mine from the end of May to the end of June. I, too, fertilize once a week with Foliage Pro.

Josh

1. Your Pachira does not HAVE to be repotted now. It is clearly thriving and there is always some risk when repotting, especially if it is not done correctly. As long as you can keep the roots properly moistened there is no essential need to repot, especially of you would prefer to keep your Pachira about the size it is now.

2. The sap droplets are just that and are a normal process of Pachiras. The droplets are NOT honeydew secretions produced by mealybugs and scale insects. Nor are they water droplets produced through guttation. Spider mites are very tiny and leave a mottled appearance on the infected leaves. A thorough spraying with liquid dish soap and water is as effective as any pesticides and a lot safer. The key is thoroughly spraying all leaf and stem surfaces until they are dripping wet.

Your Ficus elastic was grown deliberately in the nursery with multiple stems in the same pot. This will create a fuller, more compact plant. They will not compete with one another so there is no reason to try to separate them.

~Will

Will, how do you know whether spider mites are present or not without pictures? Also, how do you know the droplets are not guttation?

Josh

Josh, the mottled appearance of the leaves is the best indication of spider mites. Of course, good photos are always better, but we work with what we have.

Guttation is the process by which certain plants release excess water that has built up in the plant cells. It is water, not sap. Sap is sticky, water is not.

~Will

Yes, but when that water comes out, there is certainly a stickiness to it...especially if it has dried a bit.

I say we wait for further information and images :-)

Josh

In looking at the larger Pachira again, the leaves clearly show a deficiency of some sort - which means it is not thriving. To my eye, the plant is definitely under-potted....so it could be root-bound and having trouble taking up nutrients as a result.

I would advise a container twice as large as the current container, using that same bark, perlite, et cetera, mix.

Josh

Thank you everyone for your comments.

I'm attaching additional photos that show the drops one one leaf, as well as a closeup of one of the mites. The droplets seem to have a preference for the main leaf vein and stem. I'm not sure if the mites have a preference for these areas where they may get more "juice." If you look closely you can also see webbing in one photo. Of course the tree could have both sap droplets AND mites, but I thought it too much of a coincidence that they both appeared at the same time.

Will - how much dish soap to water do you use for the mite spraying? A few drops I imagine.

Josh - I agree I was worried about some of the yellowing of the leaves and thought it might have outgrown its pot (prob obvious from its small size). Would you recommend pruning any branches after repotting? I think I'd prefer to keep it bushy, but not at the expense of its overall vitality/appearance.

Sugi-c - thanks, I think i'll also keep the ficus bunched, and might try out the propagating at some point :)

1) When your plants get to the point the root/soil mass can be lifted from the pot intact, they will benefit from repotting and root pruning. Left to their own devices beyond that point of congestion, the plant will begin to decline, and potting up can't reverse the decline - only relieving the root congestion can. This is the guideline that every nurseryman knows, even if they don't always follow - a $ thing due to the cost of repotting. Instead, a vigilant plantsman whose living depends on the sale of plants will pot up BEFORE the root congestion reaches the stage noted. This eliminates the need to repot, but eventually the container size will be so large you'll want to do a full repot, which is one reason it's better to include regular root maintenance as a regular part of your plant plan.

There is no need to trim laterals if you repot/ root prune. You can always take them off - putting them back on is harder.

2) A physiologic process called guttation causes the droplets of sap from the xylem nutrient stream. They contain a solution of sugar (the plant's food) and nutrients in water taken up by the roots.

The mites can be removed with a sharp blast of water or a spritz of rubbing alcohol and water mixed 50/50. Be sure to cover ALL surfaces, including leaf axils. Please don't use dish detergent as a spray for mites. We know for certain that harsh detergents dissolve waxes in the leaf cuticle and are especially harmful to roots if the solution drips or is applied to the soil. The plant uses cuticular wax to make the leaves waterproof, and to keep pathogens from getting at the leaf. If a high concentration of detergent is used, the detergent will even remove the cell membrane of the the leaf cells, killing them. Roots don't have a waxy cuticle, as their function is to absorb water. Detergents dissolve the lipid membrane that surround root cells, which kills these outer cells, and prevent the plant from absorbing water and nutrients. Root hair cells absorb all of the water and nutrients the plant needs, and these would be first killed by detergent.

If you're going to use something soapy, invest in some insecticidal soap, which is based on potassium fatty acids and safer for plants.

3) Inspect the plant below ground to determine if you have many branches emanating from nodes beneath the soil or several individual plants - then make your determination as to how you want to proceed.

Al

Bingo! Al is correct.

Re-pot, but don't prune anything right now....it doesn't seem necessary at this point.

Yes, I can see the webbing now. You have mites....and natural guttation, just as I suspected. After all, I've observed it tens of times on my own Pachira.

An insecticidal soap or a Neem oil mix is exactly what I would use. When using "dish soap" you never want to use a detergent. I prefer to use Dr. Bronner's Castile soap or Murphy's Oil soap as an emulsifier for my Neem oil....just a few drops to a quart of water and 1.5 teaspoons of Neem.

Josh

Also, I like the look of the mix that you're using...from what I can see of the surface.

Josh

Thanks again for the helpful comments.

Regarding the mix, it's all I've learned from reading hours of everyone's posts here =)

Is there a reason why a product containing permethrin is not preferred over Neem oil or alcohol mixes? Other than that the later is obviously gentler and possibly safer healthwise (for us vs. plant vs. both?)

While I don't doubt the process of guttation, it does seem a little odd in this specific case that it is appearing at the same time as the mites, and in the picture there are some brown areas along the main vein where the droplets appear (possibly reflecting damage from the mite?). Its degree is also quite extensive. Just a few thoughts.