ming arailia dropping branches

I , have a lacey ming aralia, 4ft, 10" pot sitting in my foyer in front of a low window. It gets bright morning light diffused by porch overhang. There is a fountain under the canopy. I let it dry out between watering, soak it and let it drain completely before returning it to its place. I have had it for 3 months. Recently, it started dropping leaves. Today I see whole branches on the floor. I have been battling a black fly problem in other plants, brought in by poinsettas I have paid careful attention to my aralia to be sure it doesn't get them. I have not seen any in it or around it. I added a light application of sand to the topsoil as soon as I saw the flies in the house and I used a soapy water application on the other plants after "seven" pesticide on all of them didn't help. Today I started misting my aralia in hopes it just needs humidity in my otherwise dry central Texas air. Does anyone know what is wrong with my aralia?

I don't let mine dry out between waterings. I have it in very light soil and keep it moist but not wet. I had the same problem when I brought it home. I also have it in a north window that gets no direct light.

The black flies lay eggs in the soil and don't harm the plants as far as I can tell. They're just annoying.

I don't think it's humidity, I have one in my house so it definitely doesn't see much humidity and it's always done fine, not even a brown leaf tip (which is the usual sign of not enough humidity). I've found they're a bit picky about the watering--if I let it dry out too much in between waterings it'll sometimes drop leaves like that, or if I keep it a little too wet it'll do the same thing. I'd probably try doing the finger test for a while to see when it really needs to be watered--it could be you're letting it dry out a little too much or you could be giving it just a little more than it wants.

Thanks for the input. When I bought the aralia, the nursery that grew it told me to let it dry out between waterings then flush and drain and keep it near a window. Since I have read several different opinions on the watering. I would think, since it is a tropical, that it would prefer moist. I am now misting and I will water sooner but not soak. Thanks!
Does anyone have an effective way to get rid of black flies? I have tried Seven spray and Dawn dish liquid in the water and I stay after it to catch those hatchlings. I also added sand to the topsoil.

Another thing you might want to check for (if you haven't already) is spider mites. They're almost impossible to see, but they can cause plants to drop leaves that way. Look for fine webs or little moving specks. Misting will discourage them - a good weekly rinsing with a sink sprayer or gentle shower will keep them under control. You might also try something like Safer. I have problems with mites during the winter in NY, thanks to all the dry, centrally-heated air - they've cost me two jasmines and I've spent the past four months battling them over a third.

I've heard of something called Gnatrol that's supposed to help with blackflies/shoreflies/fungus gnats, but I've never tried it.

I have to agree with Ecrane! My arialia's are rather picky as well when it come's to watering them. One just need's to find the perfect pot/spot/environment for one when it come's to being a houseplant,

Rachel



This message was edited Apr 13, 2009 11:06 PM