Peace Lily Leaf Spots: Care Issues, Not Just Disease

Peace lily has leaf spots on tips and edges; owner wants to identify type. Expert: peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) get few insects (aphids, spider mites, mealybugs). Diseases (root rot, leaf spot, bacterial soft rot) usuall

Indoor Yucca Smells Like Cat Urine: Root Rot from Overwatering

Indoor yucca over a year old; pot area smells like cat pee. Watered heavily to flush smell; runoff dark and smelly. Expert: classic root rot from overwatering. Let exposed area dry. Remove rotting branch (soft). Stop wat

Lime Tree Leaf Curl and Fruit Deformity: Leaf Miner and Neem Oil Prevention

Lime tree has curled, deformed leaves and some misshapen fruit. Expert: classic citrus leaf miner—moth lays eggs under leaves, larvae leave “railroad tracks.” New spring leaves are clean; miner dormant in winter. For fru

Japanese Plum Tree Rabbit Damage: Bridge Grafting to Save Girdled Tree

Two-year-old plum trees in NE Florida (sandy soil, amended) finally thriving, but rabbits stripped bark 2 above ground to first branches on larger tree. Lower leaves yellowing. Expert: girdling severity determines surviv

Giant Philodendron Failure Under Palms: Plastic Mulch and Water Competition

Giant philodendrons under 3-year-old royal palms with black plastic and stones are yellow and stunted; palms thrive. Expert: philodendrons need more water than palms. Yellow leaves = not enough water. Plastic blocks wate

Sour Orange Tree: Rootstock Takeover and Grafting Options

Texas orange tree fruit turned sour after frost. Owner asks if regrafting onto 12-ft mature root structure works. Expert explains: frost killed the scion (sweet orange); sour orange rootstock took over. Grafting onto sou

Live Oak Sudden Death: Grubs, Black Ooze, and Phytophthora

Hollywood, FL live oak has small white worms (dark cap, ½) at infection site, black tar-like liquid exuding below. Arborist called them “tree grubs”; extension agent unhelpful. Expert first sent grub ID link (turf/sugarc

Indoor Foxtail Palm Browning: Light, Water, and Fertilizer Needs

Foxtail palm indoors in loft with natural light has browning, dry leaves. Owner checks soil moisture at 3 inches. Expert provides culture sheet: foxtail palms are hardy, tolerate alkaline/rocky soils, need palm fertilize

Beach Sunflower Collapse: Overwatering in Florida Panhandle

Beach sunflowers (Helianthus debilis) in Santa Rosa Beach planted on tilled, fabric-mulched bed. Initially beautiful, then sticky white substance below blooms, brown leaf spots, stems withered brown/black. Owner tried mo

Pineapple Plant Fuzz and No Fruit: Mealybugs, Spacing, and Apple Trick

14 pineapple plants from tops had white fuzzy tufts (mealybugs) and leaf spots. All Seasons Spray Oil didn’t last. Fruiting stopped. Expert: tops take 3 years; side shoots (pups) fruit in 1 year. Use 100% pure neem oil—d

Container Citrus Fruit Drop and Sticky Residue: Hidden Pests and Fertilizer Fix

Bearss lime and Meyer lemon in containers dropped fruit after August feeding and overwatering. Clear sticky substance on fruit. Owner saw no pests despite organic sprays. Expert insists: sticky honeydew means aphids or s

Lucky Bamboo Black Stems: Rot from Overwatering and Poor Water Quality

Lucky bamboo in pebbles/vase has black spots on stems; roots look fine. Expert: first, smell the plant—bad odor means rot. For water culture: vase 2 wider than plant; water level at top of pebbles. Wash plant, pebbles, c

Grapefruit Tree Webs: Beneficial Psocids, Not Pests

Grapefruit tree has small webs between branches with tiny light dots; sometimes on leaves. Expert identifies psocids (barklice)—beneficial insects that clean the tree by eating fungi, algae, dead insects. No treatment ne

Crape Myrtle Bark Fungus/Lichen: Cosmetic, Not Harmful

Two crape myrtles in St. Augustine have flat growths, fuzzy lichen, air plants, Spanish moss on bark. Neighbor’s trees have smooth bark. Owner wants to remove unsightly growth. Expert says variety may attract more epiphy

Indoor Ficus Top-Down Dieback: Overwatering Stain and Recovery

Ficus dying from top down with large dark stain at trunk base. Owner suspects past overwatering by caretaker. Expert confirms stain is from overwatering/rot at base. Ficus needs very little water. Return to normal care;

Loquat Fire Blight: Symptoms, Cycle, and Management

Loquat blossoms turning brown—owner asks what fire blight looks like and how to treat. Expert provides full UC IPM description: bacterial disease (Erwinia amylovora) on pome fruits. Symptoms: tan ooze from cankers turnin

Robellini Palm One-Sided Death: Wind, Water, or Nutrition?

Robellini double palm has one side dead, leaves chewed. Owner hasn’t checked soil pH; asks if overwatering harms Robellinis. Expert findings: windy sites dry leaves—move to shelter. Prefers moist but not wet soil, high h

Key Lime and Ficus Hedge in Key Largo: Water, Leaf Miner, and Cuban Laurel Thrips

Key lime in Key Largo (half shade) losing leaves, almost bare; leaves folded with lace-like edges. Ficus hedge has relentless Cuban laurel thrips. Expert says lime needs more water—water brings fruit/flowers. Center leav

Indoor Mini Orange Tree: Sooty Mold and Neem Oil Fix

Indoor citrus (5 ft, 1-inch oranges) in warm, sunny office has black powder on leaves—sooty mold from insect honeydew. Wash off with soap and water, or use 100% pure neem oil which doesn’t wash off and protects from futu

King Palm Crown Rot: Pink Powder Indicates Fungal Disease or Scale

Critical Symptoms Joels king palm: fronds die as soon as developed (others healthy). Trunk bark falls away exposing pink powder. Two Possible Causes Fungal disease affecting individual leaflets — pink coloration noted