I have some sort of insect or worn eating my flowers or buds off, then burrowing into the stems of my bidwilli and cristi-galli trees. All the seeds were eaten out of the pods the cristi-galli produced this year.
I've googled and googled and the only thing I can find relates to a gall wasp which lays its eggs on the leaves. The hatchlings then burrow into the leaves and make galls. They kill the trees within two years and are a terrible threat in some areas.
My trees have no galls. I had the same thing year before last. However, last year I had none.
I would appreciate any ideas on what they are and what to do about them.
Kay
Erythrina Pests
Hi kay.
I've kept mine sprayed with Seaweed extract all summer, it's really helped cut down on the pests.
My bidwilli produced seeds..but the cristi-galli I just planted in ground this year.
Boy those black eyed susan vines you gave me...took off...!
Rj
Hi RJ! Long time no hear!
I'll have to find some seaweed extract. Do you get that on line or locally?
RJ, the bidwilli is purportedly sterile. Do you think the seeds it made will be viable? I'd sure try them! I think bidwilli was the result of an unusual cross of cristi-galli and herbacea. I think bidwilli has made a couple of pods but they never had seeds in them.
I've got two big pots of papayas growing and I'm hoping they might make fruit. Are yours bearing yet? If not, when do they start?
Have you ever had the burrowing pests on your erythrinas? I think DonnaB had them one year, too. Strange how they don't come back every year.
Kay
No..I've not had that pest thank goodness.
I think most nurseries carry seaweed extract, but you can get it on line. Maxicrop is my favorite so far - it can be pricey but it lasts for a while. http://www.maxicrop.com/pages/products_main.html
I have been keeping a diary about using it this summer with pretty great results..as usual it can be a lengthy read..but I have alot of links to web sites that provide some interesting info on it.
http://davesgarden.com/tools/blog/index.php?tabid=1923
I've had the best pest free summer ever, and you know my garden is a magnet for them because of the jungle landscaping.
My Papayas are starting to fruit now, and usually will continue over the winter. Usually the best fruit will happen when there is a warm winter. They will rarely produce in pots though. It's best to plug a couple in the ground and keep a couple to over winter in the green house for next year. I have several that I started last year that I will keep about 3 to 4 feet tall and overwinter in the green house this year..that way if I loose the trees I have a big head start in planting in the ground. As it is, I have 3 big trees that recovered from the freeze last year. Use 18-8-28 combination specifically for Hibiscus from http://yardgeek.com/ - The Papayas go beserk ...they grow amazingly fast and start blooming like crazy. Also, trim off the lower branches..and the tree will accelerate their heigth, kind of like palm trees do when the lower branches are trimmed.
This pict was last years...we had a very warm winter after hurricane rita
My word! I had no idea they got that big! Mine will probably never produce fruit anyway as we always will have two or three nights of 26 degrees or so. I just had to try the pot just to prove it to myself.
I looked closer today at the erythrina. I got to see several stages of this pest process. When the baby flower spike just barely starts to develop, some critter lays eggs on it. They hatch into this nasty looking brown worm who eats his way back into the branch. I cut all the ones I could find. I cut them back past where the hollow stopped, then I squished with my fingers all along the hollow part that I cut off, hoping to smash that nasty thing.
I saw something in my research about the possiblity of imiocloprid helping to get rid of them. That is the active ingredient in Bayer's Tree and Shrub spray. 'Just happened to have a bottle, so I hit all the trees with it really well. I'll watch and see what happens.
Strangely enough, on my shelf I also found a bottle of Maxicrop. I guess I need to use it , huh??? LOL
Kay what ever the bug is, it is devastating all my erythrinas too. Have never had bugs on them before. I have been cutting them back below where the worm is inside the stems and getting new growth from them
I had some caterpillars ID'd and they said it was a Sawfly I believe that I was finding on them. Wonder if that is also the boring pest
Donna, I don't know what a saw fly is, but you bet I'll be looking it up. I know you can't spray, so when I find out what to spray, I'll sneak over in the darkness of night and spray yours too. hee!
The cutting below where the caterpillar had burrowed did not solve my problem, though.