Question
QUESTION: I have (had) two beautiful ficuses on my deck that were doing great...the leaves began to turn yellow and fall off, so I thought maybe I was watering it too much...now I realize that isn't the problem...I have a million tiny tiny little bugs (?) flying around...has brown stuff on the leaf (someone said aphids) and an interesting pattern on white dots connected with white strings...certainly not the best description, but hope you can help me...bought some garden pesticide, but the little flying things are still around a few hours later...can you help me?

ANSWER: Sue,

The little flying things sound like fungus gnats that attack a plant when it is overwatered. The roots begin to rot and fungus gnats smell the rotting roots (like fruit flies smell over ripe bananas on your kitchen counter) and go after them. Remove the drain trays from under the plants and drain away as much water as possible then do not water the trees until the soil has seemed dry for at least 3 days and the plant feels noticeably lighter weight if you tilt it. It probably also has aphids and the white stuff could be mealy bugs or spider mites. See if the Garden pesticide says it will kill those. If so it may need a 2nd treatment. If not I suggest that you pick up a bottle of Bayer Tree And Shrub Protect and Feed. Follow the instructions on the bottle for potted trees. It is a systemic insecticide that is available at Wal-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot or Menards for just under $20.00. It will keep your trees insect free for a full year and a bottle will last for 2-3 years if kept in a cool dry location. You have to stop over watering to keep the fungus gnats away. Good luck!

Darlene

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My ficus are in tubs on the deck, so I guess I'll need to pull them out of there...there are holes in the bottom, but obviously not enough...what can I look forward to in the coming weeks? Will the gnats go away (the pesticide doesn't work on them?) if I let my trees dry out? Will all the leaves fall off b4 it's over?

Thanks for your help!

Answer
Sue,

Pull them out of the tubs and drill more and larger holes immediately.  Then put the trees back in. Never leave them sit with water in drain trays under the tubs. Use a turkey baster to suck out excess water an hour after watering them or after a big rain.  They should be lightly moist and allowed to dry out between waterings so the surface of the soil is dry for at least 3 days. The soil will still be moist lower in the pot. Then water them again. They will not loose their leaves if you quit keeping them in a swamp.  If you keep them soggy wet all the time the roots will rot and they will not be able to take up any water so they will loose all their leaves and die. No pesticide does not work on fungus gnats because they just fly away and come back when the pesticide goes away. There is a product you can order online called KLN Rooting Concentrate. Do a google search and order a small bottle and it will help your ficus regrow it's roots. Mix it like it says on the bottle. It will also help grow roots on cuttings if you like to grow new plants from cuttings. You just have to cut back on the water and give it better drainage so it is not sitting in water. Good luck!

Darlene