Question
i bought a radermachera about 18 months ago and it was fine, although there where 3 plants in one pot(4") it is not that pot bound, its on a north west facing bathroom windowsill. after a few weeks of having it lots of leaves started dropping off so did the stems that attach the leaves to the main stem. when clearing them up i noticed that they where sticky all over even the stems, so i felt the plant and it was sticky too. some of the leaves that drop have yellowed beforehand but some drop when they are green and look fine but are sticky. there is no evidence of any insects and no bits that are oozing its just an overall covering. PLEASE help because it is still growing, i have looked in all my books and on the net but cant find out whats wrong and because its not actually dieing i don't want to get rid of it. it is next to a few other plants but they are fine. if this is not enough info please let me know and i will try and provide you with more. thanx for your time! Jane

Answer
Hi Jane,

The stickiness is a sign that your China doll has an infestation of either scale insects or mealy bugs. Mealybugs look like tiny bits of white cotton. Scale insects look like slightly raised, small bumps attached to the leaves and stems, often on the undersides. Let me know which you see and I will explain how to treat them.

Regards,
Will Creed