It's horrible! Can you see the webbing? Help!
Picture of the webbing
is it a spider or spider mites? just spray with soap or a hose....
A good gentle wash with spraying water while your plant is taken outdoor. Follow up (after the water is allowed to evaporate) with a good complete spray of horticultural neem oil while temp. is below 80 degrees F. is most effective. The oil will smother any eggs left on your plant, so that they won't hatch and come back and damage your plant. (read and follow your neem oil label) avoid the high temp. because the oil-base substance can scorch your brugs' leaves. Best of lucks.
BDunn, do you have the brug in a screened in porch. I'm always grateful to get brugs outside in Spring, the ladybugs and other friendly critters eat the bad ones, like mites ... Mites do not like water... in summer if we don't get rain for days or weeks on end, I mist or shower them with the hose in the early morning or evening when theres no direct sun on them a couple times a week. I get up under the leaves too. I guess what I'm saying is maybe if you move it out into the elements, mother nature will help you take care of it. That's what I'd do Lilylove, only I got kinda rough with the water pressure.. I used my fingers and cleaned the webbing (and mites) off with the hose running from above. I'd back it up with something like Neem, I think I used Safer's soap cause that's all I had. Earlier this spring I brought 2 young brugs in the house to protect from storms/wind, they were in here for 2 days and I noticed the webbing... out they went into the shade and got the shower/bath of their little lives.
Lilylove and Aunt B,
Thanks so much for your help! I've removed about 2/3 of the leaves (most of which fell off when I moved him out of the porch and used the hose) and in the morning I'll use the Neem. He's now in the "recovery room" where he'll have time to recuperate.
I didn't think about Mother Nature giving a helping hand when I moved him into the screened porch. He was so lush and I thought it would be wonderful to have those blooms right on my screened porch as I was sitting there. I was selfishly thinking about my wants and not his needs. LOL!
Also the porch is one of the few places I don't have blazing sun. Once he recuperates, I'll find a good spot for him.
This guy (Chas. Grimaldi) is special to me since he's been raised as a standard for 3 years in a huge pot and I brought him back from FL when I moved. His trunk is now about 2 1/2" in diameter so he's good sized. He comes in every winter and drops his leaves then goes back out when the weather warms up.
Seems like all my brugs have suffered this season with the heat and blazing sun, but we always seem to march on, don't we?
Thanks again for your help. I'll post a picture when he's out of the hospital and feeling a bit more chipper. I guess there'll be no blooms on him this season, but you all have saved his life -- we both thank you!
Barbara
WTG, Barbara. Best of lucks. I love 'Charles G' one of the worthy brugs in my collection. With good care, he should bloom by the Fall. Thanks goes to Bonnie for she was more throrough on describing the general care of brugs. ^_^, also to CC in Az. for correctly diagnose of the bugs that was afflicting your brug. I'm looking forward to pics. of Charles later in the Fall.
Happy gardening.
I really appreciate everyone's input. That's one of the best things about DG -- everyone contributes and is so-o-o helpful to everyone. What would I do without everyone's help??!! Love all you guys!!
Barbara