OMG!! W#hat is this??? Ecrane HELP!!! or anyone else.....

Ugh! That is so disturbing!! I am grossed out right now. It made me shudder to see these. What do I do to get rid of it.

All my hibiscus have issues. Anyone wanna take a look at my not so hot pictures???

this one is better

here is another issue... I think aphids???

Ok, look up Gall disease, crankers infestation? Ecrance3, would someone fetch him here Stat!

UGH!

another grotesque shot...My poor hibiscus'......

this one has only bloomed once since...... may I think.... It's starting to look holey now though.

Aphids!!! They ravage our plants by sucking juices right out of the tender growth, then they're also disease carriers! Get rid of them right away. Cut off the infested branches off. Spray your plants with antibiotic or fungicides according to your local nursery's advise, or County extension office. Remember to clean your pruning tools with 10% Chlorox solution, soak them for at least 10 mins. Bag your infected plants cuttings and dispose of them.
I hate aphids!!!!
Good lucks.

I think that's a little extreme for aphids! You can generally blast them right off with the hose, or if you prefer a chemical approach insecticidal soap will knock them out nicely. They can carry diseases, but I'd save the cutting off branches and spraying with antibiotics or fungicides until you actually see a problem, I've personally had many plants attacked by aphids and I've never had them get any diseases as a result. One common thing with aphids is that you'll get sooty mold on the leaves where the aphids left honeydew, this will look like a horrible disease but it's really not, all you have to do is wash off the leaves and it'll be just fine.

The stuff on the leaves may be aphids but it's hard for me to tell in that picture. But the stuff on the branches looks like scale to me which is harder to get rid of--I've had some luck with a strong jet of water to dislodge some of them, but they have a hard shell that makes them more resistant to pesticides. Hopefully someone else will have some suggestions on them for you.

I also agree, I believe it's Aphids. If you don't rid the plant of them, they will stunt the growth of thr buds and leaves. I am not an expert on Hibiscus diseases/pests, but I do not remember Hibiscus plants (In South Florida zone 10) back in the 70's all the way into the early 90's having any Aphid problems. It is so comon place now, especially with my own Hibiscus plants. Are these Aphids a new problem with plants? Or, was I lucky to not have any problems till now?

I am with ecrane on this; those look like hard shell scale to me. I would prune those bushes severly and spray the remainder of the branches with a product like Ultrafine oil which will smother the larvae. They have been there a while, that is why your plants have not looked well. Ultrafine oil is a safe (it is a vegetable oil based product) and surefire method if used correctly. Since you are in such a warm climate spraying at sundown would be best. Several spraying may be necessary, follow the directions on the bottle.

That is interesting what you posted, Gardenladybug. We didn't have these problems with hibiscus in the 70's and on. I started asking at the Garden shops where they purchased their hibiscus and they all say South Florida because they are too tropical for our zone. They temp me every year and I have the same problem. Aphids and what I understand is called Southern blight caused by a bacteria. I have no problem with my confederate rose, rose of Sharon, or the okra in my vegetable garden.
You folks do know that okra is in the hibiscus family, right?
Check this out! http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic1179.htm!

let's try that web site again.

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic1179.htm

BSD,
Thank you for sharing the link. I've noticed the ornamental Okras at my local nursery center this year for the first time.

Aphids can be found just about every "green" plant by my observation. They suck the juices of new tender growth vegetations, then secret a sticky "honey-dew" substance that attract aints to where they colonize, which invite more diseases carrier hosts to your plants, the sticky "honey-dew" inturn will create a favorable environment for fungal growth. Their favorites plants are roses, hibicus, honeysuckles, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that puts forth lots of tender growths in the spring. Even my Sorbus was a target of aphids when they 1st leafed out. I battle this bugs just about daily in my garden since early March. Once they get widespread it's harder to control. Adult aphids (from my observation, again) have wings, they can travel from plant to plant after they deposit their eggs and hatching young ones (young one without wings, are easy to be knocked off the plants and die, because they couldn't get back to the plant on their own). But the adults will travel and multiply at a rapid pace. Here I've noticed them to be pale green, or brownish black in color. Surrounding gardeners' also share observation that the black ones are a little more difficult to be "knock off" by mechanical control such as spraying jet of water on them.

Scales problems to me, seem even a more challenging task in controlling them, since most oil-base substance could easily burn folliages once temp. exceeds 90 degree F.
If indeed the 1st two photos show infestation of scales, I'll rid off the branches, and treat the remaining healthy plant (once the problem is properly diagnosed). I didn't mean to "cut off" those tender growth where aphids are found. If that were the case, I'd have to use chain saw, and lawn mower for ALL my garden plants that are susceptible to the nagging APHIDS.

Lily, you are correct, most of the oils are too heavy for summer spraying but I have found the Ultrafine perfectly safe and I live in a very warm climate, 98 and sunny today. (I bet it is not that hot in south Florida today.) It is even lighter than Sunspray oil. Of course, one would never spray anything in the heat of the day.

Looks like you have scale. Prune your plants back and wait a while. If you see them starting up again spray them with a solution of 50/50 water and alcohol. Or just pluck them off if there's not too many. You can also give them a dose of Murphy's oil soap cut 50/50 with water.

Oh thank you all. I've never seen scale before. I am a young gardener. i seem to have found my fathers green thumb but I guess it's finding all the organic, non-pesticide tricks you can use.

I am feeling a bit crushed.
I went to homedepot and asked for help getting something to get rid of scale and aphids. About 3 days later (yesterday) we found 30-4- dead bees, hornets, dragonflies and even a butterfly dead IN our lanai. It's about 30 yards to the garden beds where I sprayed. I can't find ANY dead bees or hornets at all around the plants though. Weird.
I can only assume that's what it was.

At any rate I am going to try the more gentle routes of ridding my garden of these pests.
What dawned on me is that the people here in DAVESGARDEN care about the hole cycle of nature and plant growth. You guys know best usually.

Thanks to all of you with the great tips. I've learned a big lesson. Sigh.

One solution that is new to me but seems to work is spraying with 1 part milk to 10 parts water.....or add milk to the hose end sprayer and spray away. I'm no scientist so I can't explain it. Only know it works through experience......now lookey there. It is not aphids it is fungus. Well, anyway, if you should have fungus you know what to use. lol dumb, dumb, dumb.

A friend of mine had an anthurium that had something like this overtake it. I washed the plant thoroughly ~every crack and crevice~, knocking off every scale I could find, and then I drenched it with Neem. A couple days later I repeated the process. I never saw them again and the plant thrived.

Perseverance will make the difference. Good luck!!!

Thanks again LouC you made me chuckle good.

Cool I hope I don't get fungus!

The genius that is ECRANE3, asked if my neighborhood had been sprayed for mosquitoes. I saw the mosquito truck the night before. And there were bugs in the front of the house dead too! YAY It wasn't me!!!! YAY!!

I cried! lol I'm not a murderer! well I killed some aphids but... I hope that is about it!!

Dangitgirl,

You are not alone. My DH swears I am obessive-compulsive because I am up at dawn's early light with a spray bottle of homebrew (Dawn and water) battling first aphids and now white flies. Geesh! What is it with the insects this year? Just now took a final turn around the garden and the most grossest thing I ever saw was hanging upside down on a leaf of a Bird of Paradise-I think it is a circada! I've also found mealy bugs on my Jatropha and scale on a Pony Tail Palm. NEVER had these problems in the past, but it has been an unusual year. Mild winter and unseasonably cool nights up until June. Only 1 of my hib collection has even bloomed so far this year. Definitely feel your pain.

lol! Same here, I am battling those little aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs you name it on my many plants, and I am going to win. (I hope)

Corn meal will work for fungus as long as your not already using a chemical fungicide. The rose grows have been using it with good results.

I usually get aphids only in the spring but I just found it on my abutilons. I always spray with Palmolive dish soap in water and usually it only takes 1 spraying. But scale is so tough. In the past I had them on my oleanders, tons of them. I tried to get rid of them by hand. It was gross. Way too many and they get in all the crevices of the trunk and branches. After 1 of my oleanders died from them I got out the big guns and used the Bayer Tree and Shrub. It took 1 application as a soil drench which lasts up to 1 year; you put it in 2 gallons of water and then water the soil around the base. And they were gone!

I'm going to check my Oleanders TODAY.

I also have problems with scale on all the thick leaved plants,bay tree,gardenia etc.I use the hose and my finger nails and scrape off the scale.For the leaves that are really infested I also use the water and alcohol.So far I have not had scale on my tropical hibiscus and I find it fairly easy to get rid of the aphids with a strong spray of water and my fingers.

BSD I find it easy to grow the tropical hibiscus in our area.I bought 3 liners 2 years ago from a coop and they have thrived.I have taken cutting from them.Now I have 8 new liners that I bought last month and they are doing well.I take them inside when we have weather lower than 40.

Just and update... I beat the scale!! HA HA!!! I am getting the aphids too!! My little plants all seem to be thriving as I am out when I can be plucking away at weeds and pests! Thanks again for all the help. That scale flipped me out when I first saw it! scary looking stuff....
"I thought oh no! my plant has terminal plant acne! LOL"

Dangitgirl, congrats!!! terminal plant acne. lol, lol.

Just wanted to update you all on the "terminal plant acne" once more. It is all gone for sure and the plant is THRIVING!!! Here is a picture of it next to my orange hibiscus. It was half the size of the orange hibiscus when I got it! It's about 5 feet tall now! See it on the 10 ft fence???