figlayla
1430091348
Posted 1431004017
· Edited
Reply with quote #1
Got my plants about a week ago and there were no leaves. The leaves are now starting to open up and some of the leaves are being eaten. I started looking closer to the leaves and saw a small worm/caterpillar? I think on the leaves. I don't use a hose to water the plants and when I do water them I'm only watering the soil. Does the worm hurt the tree? Should I be hosting down the entire plant? Maybe washing bugs Luke that off? Is there somthing that can be done to help the tree? I'll take some pics. In a bit.
joe morle Goccia d'Oro, atillio purple, black mission.
DesertDance
1247674606
Posted 1431005620
Reply with quote #2
Every tree in our yard including figs gets sprayed with neem oil on a regular basis. Figs main pest is scale. Not sure what is eating your leaves. Count yourself lucky. We have some critter that simply bites an entire branch or main trunk off and leaves a leaf or two lying on the ground.
figlayla
1430091348
Posted 1431007275
· Edited
Reply with quote #3
Hi desertdance
joe morle Goccia d'Oro, atillio purple, black mission.
ako1974
1393356294
Posted 1431010615
Reply with quote #4
I noticed the same thing on only 2 or 3 of my trees. A similar pattern of leaf damage. Otherwise, the trees are healthy and producing more leaves and buds. I'm going to leave it for the time being to see what happens because it doesn't seem too bad. Not sure if that's a bad idea...
DesertDance
1247674606
Posted 1431011988
· Edited
Reply with quote #5
Most garden centers / nurseries have Neem. You can also get it on Amazon. Spray in the evening, not in the hot sun. Any oil will fry your leaves in the day. We mix it with water in the sprayer. The directions will be on the label. It won't hurt your figs or your plant. It simply messes up the reproductive process of certain insects that bite or suck the leaf juices. When they cant procreate, they disappear. I think JD sprays every couple weeks. He's out of town for a while, so I can't ask him. No phone service where he is now.garden web thread about Neem . It's a discussion on Aphid control, but the stuff controls many insects:
Rob
1320245426
Posted 1431015398
Reply with quote #6
Joshua, my advice is to do nothing. Whatever ate it probably didn't like the taste and stopped after a snack. It could also be FMV (fig mosaic virus) that causes deformed leaves, particularly early on in the season. Once the leaves start coming out in full swing I will almost guarantee that they will look fine. Keep in mind that figs have a large concentration of latex in their leaves, and this will deter most pests. Also they do not grow in the Northeast natively and without some help from humans, so there are no natural predators.
http://rbfigs.webs.com/
figlayla
1430091348
Posted 1431017398
Reply with quote #7
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DesertDance Most garden centers / nurseries have Neem. You can also get it on Amazon. Spray in the evening, not in the hot sun. Any oil will fry your leaves in the day. We mix it with water in the sprayer. The directions will be on the label. It won't hurt your figs or your plant. It simply messes up the reproductive process of certain insects that bite or suck the leaf juices. When they cant procreate, they disappear. I think JD sprays every couple weeks. He's out of town for a while, so I can't ask him. No phone service where he is now.
Here is a
garden web thread about Neem . It's a discussion on Aphid control, but the stuff controls many insects:
Suzi
joe morle Goccia d'Oro, atillio purple, black mission.
figlayla
1430091348
Posted 1431017553
Reply with quote #8
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob
joe morle Goccia d'Oro, atillio purple, black mission.
