Carol one more time what do I use for the little black spots on the leaves ??? Also , what should be done to all the Hoyas when I bring them in for the winter ???? Bugs etc. etc. etc. Thanks Sandy
Little black spots
Hey Sandy...Most of the time those little black spots on the leaves are little bug bites...and the plant "seals" the bite off...sometimes it can be a fungus. I would spray with an all purpose fugicide to be on the safe side...preferably one that goes systemic.
If it were me, I think I would give all the pots I am bringing in a good drench of Bayer Tree and Shrub....1oz per gal of water...letting it soak into the soil really well. It should last 10-12 months. Then just before I bring them in (on the way into the house) I would spray them well with a good strong jet of water (as strong as you can without damaging the leaves) on the undersides, tops etc.... It breaks up little webs, washes them off and hopefully gets rid of any left over beasties.
Since I haven't a whole lot of experience in this...maybe some of the others, like Mel or Awanda can share what they do.....
Carol
Carol outlined my "bring them in method" in her post above. If plants are being moved into the house from outside, I first gradualy move them into less sun and more shade and let them acclimate the reduced light conditions first. I spray all sides of the leaves with water several times and zap all with the Bayers Tree and Shrub drench. Perhaps overkill, but I spray them with an insecticide in case there are any hitchhikers. I try to move plants in at least a couple weeks before the heat comes on in the house. It gives the plants a chance to adapt to the reduced light before they have to deal with the dry heat.
You may try tenactin (sp?) on your little black spots, Sandy.
I find a lot of certain types get little maroon colored spots all over the leaves if they are getting too much sun. All my pubicalxy do that, also multifloria will yellow and get spots. Several others too. Some of them seem to like quite a bit of sun if you give it to them gradually, like cummingiana, obscura, australis, ect., but others just spot up. All seem to bloom better with more sun.
Marcy
Very interesting. I have noticed purple spots on my verticillata var. leaves. I did have her in some pretty strong sun for awhile. Hmmmm. I better get some fungicide. What I can't figure out is how come I keep getting mold in the soil of my H. fungii?? Then a couple of days ago there was a little yellow mushroom growing out of the mold... What the heck is up with that??
Usually mold on the top of the soil says (to me), lack of air circulation.... the purple spotting, if the plants are outside comes with the territory.
HI TAMMY!!! gREAT TO SEE YOU HERE!!! Guys, this is another one of those critters from DRY Arizona who grows wonderful hoyas!!!
Carol
Hey Carol,
Air circulation, hmmm, I will try moving him out a little as he is tucked into a corner. What is up with the fungus growing? This is like the third time I have scooped mold out from around the stem. Hoya's are all inside for now, as we just moved, again. Spots (pin point size) are on just one of my verticillata var., and it's really not in a hot spot so I will have to keep my on him. Loving your new Hoya's on ebay Carol.. The verticillata var. should be a must have for everyone. Variagated or not. Mine are all on there 4th bloom for the year. YIPPEE!!!
Mold also can indicate that your soil is containing not fully decomposed organic material and the fungus growing also points in that direction. Does your potting soil in that pot contain tree bark or wood?
Milan
Good point, Milan. When my hoyas are crowded and don't have good circulation, mold (yes, and some fungi) grow on the pieces of bark in my mix. If it looks really bad, I scrape it off and replace it...put it in the morning sun and make sure it gets air.
Oh Milan that may be it. My mixture does have some wood in it. But now that I have thought about it, it really does not look like mold like you would find lets say on bread. At first glance I thought it was a super bad case of the mealies. But as I started digging around,new right off that it was something else. It even has a light yellowish appearance to it. And seems to just keep returning right around the stems. I will try all suggestions. Thanks so much.
Tammy
Could it be scale?
Fungii (not the Hoya :) and Mold come in many shapes and form. They can be visually "disturbing" but one has to consider that most do not affect living plant matter in a negative way, actually they can have a positive impact on plant growth since they create essential macro/micro nutrients and sometimes they inhibit pathogenic fungii/mold/bacteria/viruses in the soil.
I know we usually prefer the visual appeal over letting nature take it's normal course :)
Milan