Pony Tail with bugs

[plantlover]

Hello!

Not sure whether I am posting at the right place... I found out this morning that my pony tail palm not only has brown leaves underneath it but the new green leaves are infested with extremely small black insects that look like lice.

I guess I should give more details on the pony tail palm itself: I got it one year and a half ago and it has been doing great until now. It always had the tip of the leave brownish but nothing else. It is an inside plant (2 and a half feet) that I keep with a lot of light.


I have been most of the day on the internet to find what they could be and what I should do but all I have learned is that pony tail do not generally have problems with bugs...

Could please help me? And especially advice me?

[Newt]

Hi Plantlover,

Pony tail palm - Beaucarnea recurvata can get mealy bugs but they look like bits of tufted cotton. They are also prone to a fungus- Coniothyrium concentricum, that looks alot like what you are describing. Is this what you see?
https://www.sld.cu/galerias/imagen/sitios/bibliodigital/coniothyrium_concentricum.jpg

Newt

[plantlover]

Hello Newt,
Thank you for your answer. Yes it look like the fungus on the picture you sent! It seem that these little lices incorporate themselves into the leave and end up looking exactly like the black dots on the picture.

What should I do? Any kind of product I should buy?

[opabinia51]

If you have an insect infestation then there are several things you can do, Newt has probably identified your pest, so do a little research on the web to find out what the predators of mealybugs are then plant vegetation that attracts these predators around your Camelias.

Also, you can buy a product called Neem Oil both as an oil and as a soap that you can spray on the camelias.

I will recommend that you do the neem oil for now and use the first method in the spring ( to plant the vegetation) as a long term solution.

[Newt]

Plantlover, I'm a bit confused. Do you see mealy bugs? They aren't black, they are white. I think it's a fungal problem. The Neem oil is great, but won't work for the fungal problem.

Newt

[opabinia51]

For a fungal problem use a milk spray diluted about 1:1 and also spray your plants with an aerated compost tea.

[plantlover]

Newt,

I am a little confused myself. From your first email, I understood that it was either mealy bugs OR fungus- Coniothyrium concentricum. Since the little things on the leaves are black and not white they and look like the picture I assumed my pony tail palm has the Coniothyrium concentricum fungus. Can could please confirm I understood correcly?

What would work on a fungal problem?
Thanks!

[Newt]

Plantlover, I think the confusion on my part came from Opabinia's recommendation of the Neem oil for insects. I was a bit rushed at the time and didn't review the entire thread. Sorry about that.

Now that we've confirmed that it's fungal problem Opabinia's recommendation of milk might be appropriate. A vinegar based fungicide would work as well and would be my first choice for this. From this site on Coniothyrium concentricum aka brown leaf spot:
https://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Foliage/folnotes/yucca.htm

1) Coniothyrium or brown leaf spot (Coniothyrium concentricum)
Symptoms -
Coniothyrium leaf spot first appears as tiny clear zones in older leaves of yucca. Lesions turn yellow and finally brown as they mature. Lesions are generally elliptical and scattered across the entire upper leaf surface. After about 4 months, black perithecia or pycnidia form in the sunken lesion centers and are easily seen with the naked eye. Sometimes a chlorotic halo and/or dark-purple or black margin forms around older lesions which rarely exceed 1/2 inch in diameter.
Control -
The most important aspects of control are removal of older infected leaves and elimination of overhead watering and exposure to rainfall. Since most yuccas are grown exposed to both overhead watering and rainfall, regular applications of fungicides are needed to prevent this disease.

Here's how to make your own recipes.
https://www.ghorganics.com/page15.html

Milk works well with powdery mildew, but you might want to use it as an alternate.
https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s948323.htm

Sorry for the confusion.
Newt

[plantlover]

Thank you very much for helping me! I will be buying cider vinaiger dilute it in water and spray it! Let's see what happens.

I will get back to you should I have any further issue!

Thank again for diagnosing the problem and sending me these precious links.

[Newt]

Plantlover, you are so very welcome! Do let us know how your Pony Tail is doing.

Newt

[plantlover]

Hello,

After spraying my pony tail palm, it is not doing any better... More and more of its leaves are turning brown and the leaves have lost all their volume. I am pretty worried about it... What should I do?

Thank you in advance for your help.

[opabinia51]

What is your climate like? It could be that the pony tail Palm is not suited to the climate that you live in. Or there could be an endemic pest in your area that is wreaking havoc on your plant.

Try just gently digging around the roots to see what sort of shape they are in.

Also, with the milk spray, etc do not just use one application, apply these methods on a regular basis.

Good luck with your plant!

[Newt]

Good advice from Opabinia. There may be pests in the soil.

Newt

[plantlover]

I live in Barcelona, Spain and the climate is pretty humide given that it is located by the sea. It never get too too cold. Rarely below 32F.

I have the feeling that it might have bugs. Could they be root lices?

The reason I am asking is that last night my aloe vera lost a leave. It fell and on the lower part of the leave, the one attached to the root, it was brown, humide and mushy. Looking closer at the plant, I saw some little insects. On my plant book it says it could either be mealy bug (which I do not think they are because there no cotton like pieces) or root lice.

So my questions are:
Could my pony tail palm and aloe vera have root lices ? If so, is the milk spray appropriate for treatement? How often should I spray them?

Thanks a bunch for your help.

[Newt]

Yes, your plants could have plant lice. From what I'm reading plant lice are also called root aphids. The milk will not work on those. I don't know what is available in Spain, but a soil soak with a pyrethrum liquid concentrate will help to get rid of them. If you grow your own chrysanthemums you can make your own.

Botanigard is a specific virulent species of fungus that infects soft-bodied insects. When a possible host insect brushes against the fungus spore, the spore attaches itself to the insect. Then it grows hyphae, which are simple thread-like filaments, into the body of the insect and starts feeding on the insect. When the insect dies it releases more fungus spores that are ready to germinate when they come in contact with a suitable host such as another root aphid. You may have to find that online.

Beneficial nematodes are microscopic carnivores that attack all kinds of insects in all stages of growth. Once the nematodes come in contact with the insect, whether adult or pupae, it is walking dead. After the feast, the nematodes do just what you'd expect, so thousands more hungry nematodes enter the scene looking for a good meal. They are available in both garden shops and on the internet.

These are natural predators of root aphids. From this site under 'Predators and Parasites":
https://www.earthlife.net/insects/aphids.html

Chloropidae, (Thaumatomyia spp.) larvae, specialise on root aphids.
Phoridae, (Phora spp.) larvae, specialise on root aphids

Newt