Hello All I have a Jade plant now 29 yrs old. A few years ago after being outside all summer it got infested with white bugs which attacked it where the leaves join the stems. Didn't do a lot of damage but were spreading quickly and I did't want them to get onto my other plants. At the time I was living in Chilliwack BC so asked the advice of a well-known garden guru there. He recommended Malathion. I sprayed the entire plant and about 5 days later ALL the leaves fell off. I almost cried. I was too upset to go back to him for an explanation and after a few weeks it began to show new growth at the tips of the stems. Does anyone know how or why this happened?
Thanks for the replies! Yes was diluted as per manufacturer's directions. Yes full recovery thankfully for both of us lol. I still have theMalathionbut am afraid to use it. A number of years ago I had a gardening book by David Tarrant lent it out and never got it back. In that book was the recipe for homemade insecticide made with the boiled rhubarb leaves and soap. It gave the ratio of leaves to water so the acid didn't burn leaves. Was amazing at killing most unwanted wildlife on plants. does anyone have this recipe to share? Myjade is 29 now...incident was 3 yrs ago. I should propably contact the manufacturer as to why it did that.
I think the technical term for the damage to your plant is phytotoxicity: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/kpn/kpn_08/pn080609.htm#shade. Note the article, Insecticide Phytotoxicity, also warns of possible damage to Crassula species from the application of Malathion. Jade or Crassula ovata is a member of that genus.
Thank you for the link. At the time I did read the instructions but being an optimist hoped mine was not one of the species of Crassula that would be affected! Thankfully I have not had any more infestations and will be a lot more careful next time. I think phyto means plant? So phytotoxicity = plant toxicity?
That would be my conclusion. You may want to post this question in a separate thread. However there are many such recipes on the web.
I got curious about the concoction and so did a search for a recipe and found this one which seems to be the most comprehensive: How to Create an Amazing Natural Insecticide from Rhubarb Leaves - Garden and Happy. Reading it may remind you of elements in David Tarrant's recipe. I wonder how it compares with regular insecticidal soap in terms of effectiveness. It occurred to me that insecticidal soap can be infused with the rhubarb extract.
