Question
We have 2 FICA trees that are at least 20 years old.  Recently they have been dripping sap which is getting on furniture and carpets, etc.  This has never happened before.  Do you know why?

Answer
Dear Carol,

Well you have a big cleaning up operation in front of you!  It would appear to me that your plants have been attacked either by aphids or scale insect which suck the sap from leaves and stems and then secrete a substance known as honeydew which is what is dripping onto your furniture and carpets.

As your plants are well established I imagine they must be quite large so cleaning each leaf individually as you could with a small plant will not be an option.  Therefore I would take them outside, if this is possible, to deal with the problem.  If this is not possible then lay some newspaper around the pot and underneath the span of the branches and spray all over the leaves, undersides included, and stems with an insecticide formulated for aphids and scale insects.  Hopefully you will be able to buy a systemic insecticide which will also work from inside the plant so that insects which are not killed from the spraying or new ones that come along will be killed when they start sucking at the plant.  

Scale insects are difficult to remove so you may need to rub them off with a cloth.

Repeat this treatment according to the instructions on the insecticide which will probably be around 5-7 days later.

If at all possible make sure no other plants are in contact with the infected plants.

If the weather is warm where you are I would leave the plants outside during treatment unless of course it is cold at night time when you must bring them inside again.

After a period of time when you are sure there are no more insects I would wash all the leaves with a solution of tepid water and washing up liquid - just a little - to remove insecticide residue, dust etc on leaves.  If you cannot reach the top ones then spray them with this mixture.

In the future regular misting of your plants will help remove any insects that might be considering latching on to the plants and also keep it clean and able to breathe properly.

I do hope that you manage to take care of this problem and hopefully you will be able to remove the stains from your furniture and carpets.

Good Luck - get someone to help you with this - your plants must be heavy and awkward to move.

Diana

P.S.  I wonder why honeydew is so named - it sounds such a lovely romantic name when it is anything but in reality!