Lilac Curled Leaves with Black Powder: Aphids and Sooty Mold

3-Year-Old Lilac Leaves Curl, Turn Brown, Black Powder Inside Northern WI, sheltered area. Whole tree covered. Expert Diagnosis Aphids suck juices, excrete honeydew → black sooty mold. Treat with Orthene (spray both lea

Crepe Myrtle Yellow Leaves: Heat, Drought, or Nutrient Imbalance

12-Year-Old Tree Shedding Yellow Leaves, Fewer Blooms Yellow leaves all over 40-ft tree. Sprinklers 40 min every other day. Hot, dry but recent rain. Panhandle FL. Expert Analysis If interior leaves, no spots → heat/dry

Pine Tree Holes in Rows: Sapsucker Woodpecker Damage

Sierra Pine Has Typewriter-Row Holes with White Caps, Dying in a Year Owner describes small circular holes in rows, white capping, tree declines. Expert Identification Sapsucker (woodpecker). Holes collect sap, insects

Unisexual Flowers and Self-Pollination: Monoecious vs Dioecious

Botany Question: Can Unisexual Flowers Self-Pollinate? If male and female flowers on same plant (monoecious), it can self-pollinate. If plant has only one sex (dioecious), needs opposite-sex plant. Definitions Monoecio

Plumeria Sticky Leaves and White Sap: Aphid Infestation

Five Plumerias Produce Thin Sticky Layer, Pale Leaves, White Sap on Young Leaves Owner asks if normal or how to prevent. Expert Diagnosis Aphids. Soft-bodied, pear-shaped, with cornicles. Excrete honeydew → sooty mold.

Evergreen Fertilization: Soil Test First, Then Targeted Feeding

Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Cypress, Arborvitae—Best Fertilizer and Frequency? Owner wants fertilizer recommendation and schedule. Expert Advice Do a soil test first (county Extension, often free). Establishes baseline. Lawn

Blue Girl Holly Sudden Leaf Drop: Root Stress or Physical Damage

Newly Planted Holly Drops Brown Curled Leaves on Some Branches Planted summer, 24 inches. 20% affected. Was making berries. Expert Suggestions Leaf drop from root/soil stress. Ensure deep, infrequent watering (especiall

Pomegranate Twisted Leaves: Mutation or Temporary Condition

Dwarf Pomegranate Has Tightly Spiraled Leaves Purchased for bonsai. Leaves twist 360° multiple times along midrib. Older leaves fully twisted, new slightly. Plant green, flowering, recovered from under-watering. No aphid

Dieffenbachia Leaf Drop: Root Stress from Water or Light

Plant Was Bushy, Now New Leaves Yellow and Fall Owned since April. Still produces new leaves at top, but they yellow and drop. Expert Diagnosis Root-related stress: soil too wet or too dry. Should be moist. Wet soil cau

Mulberry Tree Whitish Mold on Branches: Secondary on Dead Wood

Large Mulberry Has Mold on Branches, Top More Bare Owner wonders if mold causes bare branches or vice versa. Expert Assessment If tree is mature, mold likely secondary on dead wood, not the cause. If unsightly, prune af

Waxleaf Privet Decline: Nematodes or Atomic Grow

Old Privets Wilting and Dying in Water-Restricted Area 5–6 plants, 20+ years, partial shade, among healthy plants. Water twice weekly per mandates. No visible insects. Answer Nematodes damage ligustrum roots: galls, stu

Sago Palm White Scale Treatment: Volck Oil and Malathion

Owner Asks About Volck Oil and Malathion Mix Wants confirmation and rates/frequency. Expert Advice Both can be used for scale. Test on small portion first (3–5 days) for injury. Multiple applications likely needed. Caut

Sago Palm Mite Disease in Tampa: Soil Replanting Question

Owner Asks if Disease Persists in Soil After Palm Removal Previous answer out of my area of expertise. Now wants to know if soil is contaminated for replanting sagos. Answer Same Asian Cycad Scale/Atomic Grow response.

Sago Palm Bugs in Alabama: Asian Cycad Scale, Atomic Grow Recommended

Small Brown Tick-Like Bugs on Frond Undersides Brush off, return in weeks. Cut fronds, appear on others. Plant from Wal-Mart last fall. Answer Same as 2003: Asian Cycad Scale. No cure; UF researching. Atomic Grow tested

Black Oak Sudden Oak Death or Slime Flux in California Mountains

Multiple Oaks at 5000 ft Show Bubbling Clear Substance Leaves dying, dropping. Entire trunk/branches covered in clear bubbling spit-like substance, starting at top, spreading down. 4 trees affected over time. Expert War

Jade Plant Gray Mold: Need Photo for Diagnosis

Large Jade Has Gray Mold Spreading from Leaf Stems Mold starts at leaf stem, spreads to tip, leaf falls. Cutting branches hasnt controlled it. Owner asks about new soil. Expert Response Send close-up photo of gray mold

Indoor Ficus White Balls on Leaves: Woolly Aphids or Mealybugs

Sticky White Balls at Leaf-Branch Junctions Tiny white balls of sticky substance (like sugar) on leaf undersides where they meet branch. Expert Suggestions Likely woolly aphids or mealybugs. Google images to compare. If

Sago Palm White Scale in Hawaii: Asian Cycad Scale, Atomic Grow Tested

Best Treatment for White Scale on Sago Owner has Volck Oil and Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub liquid. Answer Likely Asian Cycad Scale. No known cure; UF studying. Dr. Robert Stamps testing Atomic Grow: foliar spray dehydra

Reddish-Purple Powder on Multiple Plants: Sooty Mold from Insects

Neighbors Plants Covered in Washable Colored Dust Spider lily, crepe myrtle, hydrangea affected. Material washes off, no spraying done. Expert Identification Since on unrelated plants and washes off, its a residue, not

Tomato Blight in Organic Garden: Diagnosis First, Then Action

Wilting Plants, Want Chemical-Free Soil Remediation Owner asks how to remove blight from soil organically. Expert Response Multiple blights exist (Early, Late). Need accurate ID. Best: take symptomatic plant parts to co