Question
QUESTION: I have two new ficus trees I purchased about a month and a half ago. They are both around 4 1/2 to 5 feet tall. I have them both indoors with lots of natural light all day. I've been reading that it's normal for them to lose lots of leaves in their first month or two of being brought home, adjusting to their new space. Everything is going well, they are both in  12" pots w/ drain saucers. They are still losing leaves w/ lots of new buds everywhere. My problem is, I'm noticing an increasing amount of green leaves that are shut, in other words, they have unfolded, but it looks like they fold back up in half and become slightly dry and with little brown bumps all over the outside of the leaf. These leaves are not dropping and they don't "pop off" to the touch. I've also noticed annoying tiny gnats around the bottom of the soil. I thought I might be watering too much, but the gnats are present even when the soil is dry to touch. I've also read that they enjoy being outside in the summer. Being young and it's often windy, I thought they may still be too fragile to take the wind. Is it getting "stale" from being indoors so much? What's with those weird bumpy leaves? HELP!!
Sincerely,
First Time Ficus Owner

ANSWER: Hi Kimberly,

I suspect that the bumps on the leaves may be scale insects. Are the bumps slightly raised and do they scratch off easily with your fingernail? Have you noticed any stickiness on or around the trees? If so, then you have a scale infestation. Let me know and I will tell you how to treat them. If not, then I will need photos of the entire tree and one that shows the spots clearly. Use my email address below.

Adult fungus gnats live for about 5 days. The trick is to get rid of the next generation - the gnat larvae that live in the top layer of the soil. The larvae feed on decaying organic matter. Decaying pine bark in potting mixes and decaying plants roots feed the larvae. Try to keep the soil as dry as possible, although letting the dry soil is not usually sufficient by itself to completely eradicate the gnat larvae. Remove all loose soil from the surface and put a light layer of coarse coir (coconut husk) or sand or diatomaceous earth on the soil surface. These substances have sharp edges that carve up the larvae. (Recent studies indicate that fine-textured peat moss also deters gnat larvae.)

Another safe technique is to place ?inch slices of raw potato on the surface of the soil. After a day or so, discard the slices along with the larvae inside. Repeat this until there are no more larvae in the potato.

For more serious infestations try Knock-Out Gnats to treat fungus gnats available from Gardens Alive for about $20. See http://www.gardensalive.com/item_display.asp?ProductNumber=1962.

Detection trick: Add a little water to the soil and then look very closely for tiny fungus gnat larvae swimming in the water as it pools on the surface. You need good light and good eyes to see them. If you don't, then your plant is probably gnat free.

Prevention is often the best remedy. Fungus gnats can nearly always be traced back to overwatering and/or poor soil quality.

To attract and capture the adult flying gnats, pour a little red wine into a small glass (cooking wine will work, if you don't want to waste the good stuff!) and leave it out for the day. Repeat the treatment as necessary.

The presence of fungus gnats and possibly scale insects certainly suggest that your trees were not grow in the best of conditions.

Ficus trees do grow faster when they are in the more intense outdoor light. However, when you move them outside and then back inside again in the fall, you force them to adapt to the light each time. My advice is to place them in front of an uncovered window and leave them there year-round. That way they will only have to acclimate once.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]








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

QUESTION: Hi,Will! Thank you for the prompt response. Now, there is nothing sticky anywhere on the tree trunk, leaves, top of soil, or pot it's in. The bumps are indeed raised, but do not scrape off. Upon further inspection, I unfolded one of these leaves and found gross little black things. They looked like extremely miniature versions of those little black "pincher" bugs. Also, on these same leaves and other leaves without raised bumps, tiny clusters of what looks like tan or beige "dust". They do look like how insect eggs look, I've just never seen them on such a small scale, so it looks almost like a beige dust on the top of the leaf. Based  on the location and price I paid, I would have to agree that they probably weren't grown under the greatest conditions! I will send pics if needed. What does this sound like and is it "fatal"?

Answer
Hi Kimberly,

Your description doesn't quite fit with any of the common pests found on Ficus trees that are kept inside. The little black things might be the fecal deposits from thrips, but the rest of your description does not match. I am wondering if these critters are local to your area and if your Ficus trees were kept outside at some point before you acquired them.

If you can send some clear photos to my email address, I might be able to identify the critters.

You should also consider returning the trees to the retailer.

~Will