We have a small (approx 3-4' tall) potted fig tree that does not bear fruit or lose its leaves. It has been relatively healthy, though we've been feeling it should be in a larger pot. We noticed that is has developed yellowish brown spots. We live in a very VERY dry climate (semi-arid mountain zone of Southern Colorado). Basically a climate like New Mexico, but colder in the winter. The word humidity is something that does not exist here. We have been worried about our tree. Now in the last month the tree has suddenly gotten aphids. They are embedded in the small branches as well as the stems of the leaves and into some of the leaves. We sprayed the tree with poison that claims to kill aphids. We put the tree outside to do this because we didn't want the poison in our house or the aphids to fall off into our rug. The tree was outside in the sun for two days. now it is back inside and the leaves are starting to turn a darker brown. Acck! The only happy leaves are the smallest ones, but even they have a few aphids on them. The good news, I hope, is that the tree has little buds at the ends of each branch, so it seems it wants to survive. But we clearly have not been doing the right thing for it lately. Any advice? What is happening to our tree?
Your tree sounds like it was badly scorched by the sun. A sudden change of an indoor plant to the outside strong light can cause LOTS of leaf damage. If you were moving it outdoors for the summer without any pest problem, it has to be done gradually or it will turn crispy quick! A strong hosing should knock off any remaining aphids without resorting to any poisons. They are one of the easier pest to get rid of. You'll want to do that in "shaded area". You might have do a little pruning as well. Figs, like many indoor plants, get accustomed to the lower indoor humidity and can do perfectly fine without any extra.
Thanks for the comments. Perhaps they aren't aphids....? Most of them are totally embedded inside the stems. Perhaps we should prune off those stems...? Do you think our tree will survive this shock of too much sun and bugs...?
Can you post a clear photo, or a description of of what these things look like? Your pant should be able to survive the sunburn.
While taking photos I have noticed that the poison seems to have worked on the bugs. They are dry and crispy and fall off when I touch them. We already took off most of the leaves that were seriously embedded with bugs, so I don't have great examples. There is one branch that seems to have been taken over by them though and I will include that photo. Would there be any benefit in removing some of these burned leaves so the plant could put its energy into its new buds instead? Thank you for your help.
The pest is definitely NOT aphids. It looks like SCALE. I have never seen scale embedded in branches before but it can happen I guess with certain types of scale.. Getting rid of as many infested leaves is a good start, although, scale is very hard to get rid of and could take months and there is no guarantee you will win, but all you can do it try if you want to save your tree. I had a spider plant that was given to me and I noticed scale on the undersides of the leaves, I couldn't throw it far enough! Some people fight scale for years! They can infest other plants as well if you have healthy ones nearby so keep them apart for the fig. If you really want to try and save it, cut all the branches you see that look like the photo, hopefully it's not a lot. Cover the soil with plastic baggies and then Mix 9 parts water to 2 parts rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle. Spray every inch of the plant, including under the leaves until it's dripping. If you miss any, they will come back (crawler stage is before you see the hard shell and they are tiny, very hard if not impossible to see) Spray once or twice a week and make sure the plant does not get any sun or the plant can turn white. Neem oil is another method you might want to try, the oil breaks up the shell and smothers the pest underneath. Here's a site on scale you might find interesting. http://woodypest.ifas.ufl.edu/scales.htm
Echk! Yes, those do look similar to what we have. I will try to get them all off and try the alcohol method. Thanks!
