white stuff on leaves

I went out today and all of sudden this plant has this white stuff all over it. I looked up what I could but I can't decide for sure what it is? It has been getting cold at night- high 50's and around 80 during the day but it is raining today and at 2:30pm it is only 62. Maybe there's just too much humidity? The inflo I noted August 3rd from cutting back my big plant has grown but still hasn't flowered.:( I've about decided that when I kick all the bugs and whatever else, if I ever do, I'm going to go ahead and bring them in. What should I be using?doing? Thanks for your help.

It looks like sap bled. It could be from an insect or from damage. When I lean in to smell my plumies, I often cause the leaves to bend which makes them bleed from the middle like that. It's harmless. There are some great sections on overwintering and winter care in the FAQ's Sticky Thread at the top of the forum that you may want to check out. You'll definitely want to bring them in for the winter as they wouldn't survive outside in your zone.

Good Morning Clare and thank you for your reply. While I don't see any cracks in the leaves it could have been next to one of the bigger ones when I cut off one of it's old leaves. Hadn't thought about that. Some leaves have turned a pale green so I first thought bugs or mildew. That could just be the weather and it was setting somewhere it wasn't getting enough sun. I'll be more careful so I won't have so many choices as to what things could be:)LOL

I agree with Clare!
You have to understand the plumie sap is under pressure all the time and the pressure changes with outside temps..
Any bug that pokes at the leaves will also cause the sap to run..

On a different note it looks like you got spider mites judging by the top left leaf in your pic..
Spider mites attack the center bottom part of the leaf first and work their way out..
The pics on dave's garden make it hard for me to tell the details of someone pic but it looks like mites to me on that leaf..
Mite damage can cause real light pale green leaves to appear because the leaf can no longer produce chlorophyll..
Make sure the plumies get full sun and make sure they get good airflow..
I only water the soil and not the leaves..
The only time i get the leaves wet is when i am using a foilar spray or when it rains..
These are my personal watering methods of course so do whats best for you!

Hope that helps!

This message was edited Sep 21, 2007 12:33 PM

Hi Deb, when I break off leaves the sap bleeds on everything -- including clothes, which stains them -- and it is hard to get off your skin as well once it dries. It sounds like maybe some sap bled on your other leaves.

I agree with Robert about the leaf in the upper left-hand corner of the picture. It is showing spider mite damage around the leaf stem. I just treated mine as well with Forbid, but unlike Robert, I usually rinse the leaves when I water. In this climate, mites love dry conditions and hate moisture, but there are different mites that prefer different conditions. Here's a picture showing mite damage. That is also what could be causing some sap bleeding if it is severe enough.

Lopaka, Thanks and I think so too after checking them again this morning. I see it coming back again. Diffferent than the original spots I asked about. I've been using Garden Safe Fungicide 3-1 but I'm not keeping them under control. The Neem I have is the one mentioned elsewere (70-30) that is not recommended. That is the only one our little nursery carries so--when I make it to the city I'll look for the other one. Guess I'll just keep spraying what I can until then. Would also like to find the Forbid since I'm sure I'm missing some on the bottom of the leaves even though I try not to. They are so aggravating!!!

Deb, Neem will work fine. Just use it in the early morning or evening and not in direct full sun. Here are some other miticides that work well: http://rosemania.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/page9.html The Isotox, or Systemic, can be found at Home Depot for under $20.

Clare, Thank you for that info on the miticides! Sorry I didn't get back sooner but went to help my daughter for a few days with her little boys. My baby girl(29) has Lupus and hopefully a cure will be found! I did go ahead and use the Neem I had and everyone is looking much better. I used the Neem I had, cut off the worst leaves and brought the plants in. Hope wintering them in the house isn't a bug battle but they won't survive outside nor in the garage. Hubby just frowns when I mention greenhouse so maybe I'll move his desk out of the office and turn it into one:)LOL

Since I last posted I have sprayed these plants with Neem, Bromide for houseplants(too cold to leave them out now) and yesterday we mixed up Malathion and sprayed them all.(outside, and then brought them back in) I just checked them and they still have tiny white bugs, but big enough this 'ol Granny can see them crawling aroung on the top of the leaves! They're driving me crazy, any ideas what I'm dealing with and some magic to get through the winter? Thanks to all of you who help the rest of us.

What you sprayed with should have killed nearly everything. If your plants will be going dormant for the winter, you can defoliate them and let them go dormant. The only insects that seem to affect my plumerias are mites, whiteflies, and very rarely aphids and mealies. The treatments are Neem, Safer's Insecticidal Soap, 3 in 1, Avid, Horticultural Oil, and/or Isotox. Malathion is very powerful and should have killed everything. If you could take a picture of these insects, maybe we can help you out further.

Do the bugs fly if you disturb the leaves? Are they a silver white?

Sorry for not getting back sooner! Had to make a flying trip to Albuquerque after posting. I finally got a picture of the buggers. Thought I was in good shape yesterday but nooo-here they are. I have seen tiny little bugs fly around them but not right now.

That's definitely spider mite damage. The treatments are Neem, Safer's Insecticidal Soap, 3 in 1, Avid, Horticultural Oil, and/or Isotox. That infestation is so far gone that I would remove all the infected leaves and just spray the top remaining small ones. Unless you plan on keeping them growing in a greenhouse, they can go dormant after you spray them and before you bring them inside.

Thanks Clare, Didn't know if it was or not since they were big enough to see. I have sprayed and sprayed, including with the malathion which we completely covered the tops and bottoms of the leaves until runoff, spayed the stalks, and the soil. These are tough! When we sprayed them with the malathion we brought them in. Nights are in the low 40's to mid-30's. They are in the dining room with windows all around them. I wasn't going to let them go dormant but I'm reconsidering so I can just take the leaves off and get things under control again. Or, I guess I can just defoliate them and if they keep growing I'll have a better chance of no buggers.

I agree -- either way, defoliate them. That infestation is too far gone to get them under control at this point. They can be immune to many treatments, and eggs hatch all the time. You can leave the smallest very top leaves but spray them well with an oil-based product like Neem. Retreat in a week to get the hatched eggs. Isotox is at Home Depot and systemic and might be the best for your situation given that it is under $20. Avid and Forbid work well but are more costly. They could be the two-spotted mite or the six-spotted mite or even broad mites or all three. It is hard to say. If you have a jeweler's loop or a magnifying glass you might be able to see them better. Here is a two-spotted one. No matter what kind of mites they are, they are bad news.