Mites, scale may attack ficus

My son gave me a large ficus tree that has had a sticky saplike substance all over each leaf. I have hosed it off twice outside, watered it with tea, and planted garlic cloves in the pot. I know these were treatments suggested for aphids but gave it a try anyway to no avail.

There are no visible insects on the plant or in the soil, no holes in the leaves, and no sign of disease other than this sticky sap, which drips on carpet and anything else. The plant appears to be healthy. Would you have any suggestions for something I might try to save this tree and once again enjoy it inside the house.

Nancy L. Stone

I suspect either a mite or scale infestation. Mites will be very tiny, almost impossible-to-see insects on the underside of the leaves. They may look like dust, or there may be tiny webbing present. Scale insects will be dark brown or tan bumps on the branches that can be rubbed off.

Treat mites with an insecticidal soap on all sides of the leaves. Scale is tougher to control because the brown part you see is an impervious shell that protects the insect. An insecticidal soap will control the juvenile stage (crawler stage) before they form the hard shell.

Once the adults form a shell, rub each adult shell with alcohol on a cotton swab to smother it. This will take time and patience.

Corkscrew willow

We have a corkscrew willow that we planted about 4 years ago. It is roughly 15 feet tall, and the trunk is 15 to 16 inches in diameter. It was growing beautifully until a few weeks ago. The bark on the tree trunk is lifting and pulling away – not falling off but actually firmly attached at the upper portion where the first branches start.

The leaves are now dying and falling off my beautiful tree. I have looked for signs of bugs but didn’t see any. Yesterday I noticed hundreds of tiny white moths everywhere in the grass near the tree. Are these the culprits? This has all happened very quickly in a matter of two or three weeks. Can you help me save my tree?

Denise

The most likely cause of the tree’s demise may be the cold snap we had in mid-February last winter. January and early February were so warm that many plants were only half dormant when they should have been fully dormant and immune to the cold.

As a result, many plants had more moisture in their stems that froze and broke cells and other tissue. We then had a very wet spring and early summer, which meant that even though the tree was damaged, there was enough water to keep it going. Once the heat and dry hit, the tree couldn’t keep up.

The cambium layer died, and the bark released from the tree. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do short of looking for a new one at a fall sale.