I am working at a mall that hase a 20’ Ficus Tree (have asked about this tree before). It was a 17" tree when installed many years ago. All they have told me about the bed is that it is very deep in the center. ( I have tried to use my 3’ probe around the tree but can’t get it in all the way) I have asked for the plans of the bed but they don’t seem to be able to find them.

My problem is that I am getting some dead dried up leaves at the top of the tree. I know there is mealy bug in the tree. We washed it a couple of months ago and it was doing very well.

Am I giving it to little water (some yellow leaves fall but not many) How much water would a tree this size take under a normal skylight?

Any help would be greatly appreaciated

Thank you all for all the help I get

Barb

The dried up twigs/leaves and your remark about mealybug lead me to believe your Ficus tree has a fairly substantial scale infestation in the upper canopy (certain soft scales look like white, cottony mealybug secretions). If there isn’t a vantage point (upper level balcony, etc.) from which to conduct a close-up visual inspection, or better yet, an available personnel lift from which you can see and touch the tree up close, you’re limited to an educated guess, though.

Is there a significant amount of honeydew on the foliage lower on the tree? If so, you need to do something more effective than an occasional washing...scale don’t wash off very easily! The dead branches and leaves are a telltale sign that scale have fed so heavily on that part of the tree that they have actually killed the branch. Action is needed to prevent more widespread damage to this tree, the surrounding furnishings, carpeting, and underplantings, if any.

You may be able to treat the tree with Acecaps trunk implants or with a soil-incorporated or drenched application of Marathon in some form. However, systemics are notoriously slow to work on larger, woody materials, so you will also probably want to get up into the canopy and prune off the affected branches to reduce the pest load first. And you may even want to spray with a horticultural oil labeled for scale in interiorscapes, although you will risk some leaf drop under a sunny skylight (although not so much at this time of year).

Check around for ants commuting to and from the tree...they often re-infest "clean" trees with new scales that they install on the plant...the ants feed off the sweet honeydew secreted by the scales and "farm" them like cows. If that’s an issue, take it up with the client and work with the mall’s pest control service to legally treat the ant problem at the same time that you are taking care of the scale infestation.

New spring growth will begin shortly, and the scale are looking forward to that event as much as you are, so move quickly on this.

Clem

I had scale on a small nitida in a building that was infested with ants last fall...the pest control company sprayed the tree along with everything else.....I wish I knew what they used cuz it killed every scale in one spraying.

Barb, definitely go through the suggestions mentioned above by Clem, but I think there is a good chance of something more than mealybug going on. Considering that you would have to trim the tree at some point in time, try to get a sample of the defoliated branch to examine. Also, If you can get a digital picture of the overall tree and a close up of the affected branch and email it to me I will be glad to do a visual daignostic to the extent that I can. What concerns me most is the fact that the soil seems to be so compacted that you can’t even get the probe into it. Also, given the age of the tree..... did the brown branches appear suddenly? This sounds to me like you should not rule out phomopsis and I highly recommend that you send a sample of the branch to be analyzed for that right away. Look for a tell tale sign- are the dead little branches all part of one big branch? Phomopsis acts quickly and you may or may not be able to save the tree (sometimes you get dieback in a few branches but the tree hangs on for a while or sometimes you come back in a week and the whole thing is suddenly just dead,) but in either case a lab report will be useful because you could always make a case for not having to guarantee the tree if it died because phomopsis is kinda sorta incurable. You could also argue a case for replacement if the soil is old and has simply broken down. There is some literature to the effect that interior ficus (versus exterior) simply have a shorter life span indoors because of soil decompostion and compaction over time. Good luck and let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Lynnae Dehoff.

Let me volley this one back across the net to Lynnae...

Rarely have I seen phomopsis in old, well-established Ficus trees...generally it is expressed in fairly recently acquired trees that have been accustomed to ideal nursery conditions in their young lives and suddenly find themselves stressed by suboptimal conditions (first couple of weeks on the account, etc.). It has been postulated that virtually every Ficus coming out of Florida is infected with the phomopsis organism, but only when the tree is weakened by major stress does it express symptoms and even kill the tree (in concert with the other stress-inducing factors).

As for the trouble Barb is reporting trying to get her soil probe to penetrate into the soil, I wouldn’t expect anything else, given the advanced age of the tree. Ficus grow such dense, fibrous roots close to the soil surface that it gives the impression of a doormat when one tries to stick a finger into it...plus, a bit further down, the aggressive roots form snakelike, branching structures reminiscent of movie aliens’ tentacles, and the probe is probably hitting masses of these roots as well. Sure, there is probably some degree of compaction in soil this old, but the yellow leaves are probably normal for this time of year...

One other thought about the dried-up leaves...has the tree had any pruning work done to it lately? I only ask because a tall tree such as this generally gets pruned using "remote control" tools, namely a telescoping pole pruner, which allows cuts from 12-16 feet from the target branch, but sometimes leaves clippings or incompletely severed twigs up in the canopy, where they subsequently dry out and become noticeable to the casual observer at floor level after a time.

My guess is soft scale (the white kind) that has chugged along nicely way up there in the canopy (out of sight, out of mind, until the dead branches showed up). You need to get up there and get some samples of the pest and the affected plant parts and diagnose it close up before deciding on a plan of action.

Clem

Thanks to all. I will try to get in and use the lift as soon as possible so I can see what is going on.

You all are great you have no idea how much you help all of us even if we aren’t the one asking the questions.

thanks again
Barb

Clem, it is definitely my experience that I see phomopsis most particularly in old (and I mean very old), established ficus. However, the trump factor is stress, and it is also my understanding that phomopsis is pretty common in any ficus, its just not often expressed. One question about your new ficus that are exhibiting symptoms- 14" or specimen? All from one supplier or multiple? Field or shade grown? Media? (Ok, that was four questions.....) Whatever is going on in the roots is closely linked to the onset of phomopsis. I became an absolute pain in the you know what when our plant purchaser started buying ficus that had a clay-like media. Ironically, these plants stayed wet for weeks contrary to what you would think a ficus would do, and I did see a little phomopsis throughout that batch particularly. Also, God forbid it, but I know its a reality these days, that you have to buy full sun material. I think in those situations less care is given to proper pruning in general- well, not to make assumptions about anyone’s pruner disinfecting, but usually the fast, quick, and in a hurry plants don’t get that much technical care.

Maybe I missed my calling. I think I’d like to spend the rest of my professional life pruning ficus trees. I forgot how much I loved that.

There are all kinds of individual experiences in this industry, Clem. I’m not surprised that your phomopsis is occuring in young plants, and no doubt there is a reason for that. The only thing that matters at the end of the day is whether whatever you’ve told the client is keeping them renewing contracts.

Yours in benevolence, Lynnae Dehoff.

Lynnae,

I haven’t seen much phomopsis lately on new Ficus from Florida, but it was epidemic a few years back...mostly on 14" benjis, different growers, different media (although the really peaty mixes with styrofoam beads were the worst).

The main point that you emphasized and I tried to reinforce is that diagnosis has to be done "up close and personal", i.e., get up into the canopy and take samples and photos to aid your diagnostician in making the call. For all we know, there are multiple problems with the tree in question (don’t we all wish that our problems had only one simple cause?)...so a soil test, examination of affected foliage and branches, maybe a tissue test, check of the roots, etc. etc. etc...all should ideally be done in order to gather as much relevant data as possible.

Fortunately for the industry, the newer Ficus cultivars are much more adaptable and forgiving of less-than-perfect interior growing conditions. Give me a beautiful Monique or Indigo any day.

Clem