We have a Tangarine plant that has been grown from a seed. It is about 3ft tall and approx. 10yrs old and kept indoors. It has been healthy until recently when the leaves started to become sticky Can anyone advise what this is and how to treat it. Thank you. Ann Wales UK
Hi, Does it also have scale of some sort (brown, black, red, white bumps/patches) on the leaves/bark? I have a grapefruit tree that got very sticky leaves recently and I found out it had scale. I didn't even notice the brown bumps at first because the outer leaves still looked green and healthy (the undersides had some brown bumps, though). Apparently the sticky stuff is scale excrement. If this is what it is, there are a number of different sprays you can get. I hope this helps. Paula.
Paula Thank you very much for your help, It does have bumps on the underside of leaves so we will look out for some spray as you advise. Thanks again.
That sticky stuff is also known as "honeydew," and serves as a catalyst for black sooty mold. It is, as you mentioned, the excrement (or secretions) of scale. But it can also come from mealybugs, aphids and a host of other insects. It can be rinsed off fairly easily with water. If you want to play it safe, use hort. oil, insecticidal soap or even a food grade citrus oil (like Orange Guard). Not only will this take care of the pests, it will help to remove the honeydew the next time you rinse. Good luck.
i also have a plant and its about 2 years old with sticky leaves. the plant seems to spray the sticky stuff its on the window and i had to put plastic on the window sill the sticky stuff gets all over, the plant also has thorns very sharp and hard thorns. the sticky stuff tasts like sugar very sweet. the leaves have so much on them they look wet. any ideas what this might be ? thanks for any help
Your tree has insects, probably scale. The "sticky stuff" is the excretion from the insect. If the problem is not controlled a condition called Sooty Mold will begin to cover the leaf surface, using the sweet excretion as a food source. Check your tree carefully, and you will find the insect infestation. Surely the problem is either scale, mealy bug or aphids (probably scale). Scale looks like mini brown round scabs that lay flat against the bark, and the top and underside of the leaves. This problem can be control by a 1 percent spray using Ultra Fine horticultural oil. Ultra Fine Oil is completely non toxic and can be found at Home Depot or most any good nursery. - Millet
thank you i bought the houseplant and garden spray at home depot it seems to have cleared up the sticky leaf, and it was little scabby bumps on the bark and leaves. now another dumb question any idea what the plant is ha ha i dont have a clue. its about 18 inches hi. the leaves are about 4 inches long and 2 inches wide attached to a smaller leaf that attaches to the stem. it has thorn's very sharp thorns thank you for the help again. murf
i guess i will have to wait for a few years then heh, lol it started from seed im not sure if its a tangerine, grapefruit or orange we brought some fruit home from arizonia from the ante's house and i threw the seede in a flower pot, now i got a small tree. thanks a lot for the info on the scales the plant looks better already. murf
