Portulaca Help!

I have two containers of Portulaca that have been growing and in perfect health for a year. Now, everywhere there should be a blossom there is white fuzzy stuff. If you mash it, it has a slimy substance inside. No insect that I can see. It hasn't effected any other plant. One container is in front of the house, the other in the back. No contact between the two. Any suggestions...please.
Pati

I'd start by cutting them back, cleaning your pruners after each cut so as not to spread whatever is causing this.

Are you sure that it isn't spittle bug, usually if it is that you can see a little blackish bug. Or could be mealy bugs, without seeing it , is very hard to identify. Donna

Sounds like too much water or rain has brought on an onslaught of aphids to them, Patti.

"eyes"

Is it just the buds that are mushy and slimy? Do you see any insects on them?

It's spreading!! Now the Portulaca in the window boxes, in fact every piece of Portulaca growing anywhere here is infested. No other plant has it. I'm trying to get my camera working to take a pix. I've trimmed out all I could and sprayed everything left with Sevin. When I mash the white, foamy stuff, there is a red dot inside. Also, something dark that could be a leaf or an insect. My big urn planter by my front door just started showing the white things. It's over a year old, so this is something new. *sigh* Sorry to be such a baby about this, but I LOVE my Portulaca.
Pati

Pati...I think it might be the seed pods forming..prtulac has a weird fuzzy seed pod...just a thought.
Msc.

I wish that was it! Everything that had this "stuff" is dying. Now that I look underneath, it is also on the stalk. I have cut out as much as possible and soaked it good with SEVIN. This morning the pitiful part that was left is green and one even has a bloom! Hope springs eternal!!
Pati

I can understand why you are so upset, Patti. These baffling attacks on our 'babies' can really leave us wiped out in more ways than we like to imagine. I'm happy to hear the one plant is doing ok again.

Do you see any evidence of insects? If it's bacterial, fungal or viral, Sevin won't do anything, will it? I hope you can save some - that's a bummer.

This message was edited Aug 6, 2004 4:11 PM

Since I don't know much about the various "vermin", fungus, etc., that attacks plants, my first line of defence is to spray it with Sevin in case it's a bug. It worked on whatever was curling the new growth leaves on my Mexican Flame Vine (looked like grits) and the aphids eating the blooms on my Mandevilla, so I'm hopeing for good results. The most puzzeling part of this is that whatever "it" is only affects the Portulaca. It was planted at different times with plants purchased from different places. I certainly hope I haven't unleashed a new "Portulaca Virus" on the world!

Thanks for your concern. I'm going out now to look at the poor sickies. (sob)
Pati

This is what it looked like on the plant

This WAS the most beautiful corner. Your couldn't even see the urn planter for the cascade of blooms. They matched my Gernium exactly! Of course it's right next to the front door where it attracted a lot of attention. (sob)

This is the one I'm trying to save. I'm so afraid it will spread to the Pandora vine. It grows up over the pergola and is the other side of my front door. Sorry for all the whining.

Does it look anything like the picture of cottony cushion scale on this website?
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7410.html

Thank you so much for the website. It comes as close as anything I've seen so far. Have explored all kinds of aphid sites. I am sacrifising a plant to see how they develope. The first things I saw were the fluffy blobs that were white. The next thing were oval shaped "things" that had legs and were absolutely the whitest things I ever saw. Then it looked like white slime on the stems of he plant. Then, it looked like grains of rice where the slime had been. Now all those grains of rice are growing legs and beginning to look like the "things" that I saw. If they were round they would look like a caterpiller with lots of legs, but they are flat and oval. AAAARRRRGGGG. I am so frustrated. I'm trying to find someone with a camera that can take a closeup. As you can see mine won't do it.
Pati

Following this thread to see what attacks portulaca. Patti, I love my portulaca too and would hate to see anything destroy it.

On another note.... may I ask where you got those white cat statues? They are beautiful!

Jean

You're welcome. I feel guilty about being so fascinated while you are so frustrated. I hope you will let us know what it is. Not that we don't have bugs in Ellicott City, Md., but I must say I've been intrigued by what it must be like to garden in Florida ever since I did secretarial temping at a local real estate office some years ago. I'll never forget picking up that phone and listening to a hysterical tenant, calling from Florida, pleading for help, saying "they're coming over the telephone wires through the air conditioner." I probably shouldn't find it funny either. Please forgive me if I am being offensive.

LOL to bluespiral! No offense taken, it IS funny. I love living in Florida, but the variety of creepy-crawley things take a lot of getting used to. Just when you think you've seen them all...along comes a new one!

LSP, my cats came from a company called ABC. It's been around for years in Miami. They have a very unique way of doing business. They send catalogs to business offices only. You never pay for anything until you get it and everything is dirt cheap!! My little kitties were 3.98 each. When I retired I "established" a business name so I could continue to receive the catalogs:" Patsy's Precious Presents" The Christmas cataloge weighed 5 pounds!
Pati

Hmmmmm. Without further identification, and since your description of this little beasty seems to fit with that given about cottony cushion scale in this website, I'll base a few remarks on the possibility this is that scale. This website gives some good information on both chemical and nonchemical control, especially the point about how it's possible to douse a plant with chemicals without killing all the scale, since adults hiding in those "white fluffy blobs" (which could be the molted skins of the "instar" stages of this scale between egg and adult) would be shielded from the chemical. The article goes on to explain how to ascertain when to spray.

Do you have an equivalent of our local county horticultural extension agent? They, or a Florida university agricultural/horticultural department might be able to help identify this pest (not to mention how to cleanse the area before trying to grow something else). I'd love to know what plants you could grow that are not on the menu of Mr. Fluffbug.

Rose moss is one of my favorites, too, but so are hummingbirds and butterflies. So, personally, my choice at this point of ignorance would be to find another plant not on the menu of Mr. Fluffbug rather than bestow any more chemicals on the wildlife. Botanic gardens are great places to go to for ideas.

We have never been without cats. Two of our current brood came to us when some neighbors moved to a situation where pets were not allowed. They were driving down the road one day and stopped to see what was in a cardboard box tied with string some horrible person had placed in the road - grrrrr. In it was a cat which they rescued and which soon after gave birth to a litter, for which homes were eventually found.

Well, I'll be watching this thread right along with LouisianaSweetPea and the rest of you folks to see how the future looks for rose moss. This is sounding like one of those 50's B-movies about fungus from outerspace taking over the posie patch.

Good post bluespiral!

The University of Florida Extension - University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences,

I knew this was here in Ft Pierce. I'm going to contact them to see if they have a "bug I.D." office. If not, I'll contact the Master Gardener here. They have a website also. My plan is to carry the whole plant so they can see all the stages of this white bug from hell!!!!!
Pati
Edited for P.S. The Portulaca is all gone. The only other plant affected is a pot of trailing Lantana sitting close to the Portulaca. This is the one I'm taking in for I.D.


This message was edited Aug 18, 2004 2:07 PM

EUREKA, I HAVE FOUND IT!!!!!! Not only that, I found the method for getting rid of it! What did we ever do without help from DG friends and GOOGLE? Thank you one and all for being concerned about this * DG problem.( *This DG means DUMB GARDNER)
Pati
http://www.greengardener.co.uk/mealy.htm

But, not WAY 2 dumb, apparentley. :-)

Thank you for the kind words...giggle (finger in mouth, digging toe in ground) A/K/A the "Awe shucks position!
Pati

I think I win the Dumb Gardener prize - Mr. Fluf and I have met before LOL!