Control tea scale on camellias with spray

Question. Two of my camellias are affected by this white powdery infection, which occurs every year on the foliage of primarily the branches closest to the ground. What are your suggestions for treatment?

Answer. Actually, tea scale is an insect that can be found affecting camellia foliage year-round. Just so you know, it can also be found on Chinese hollies growing locally. Insect clusters seem to be noticed most when we start to enjoy the camellia flowers opening now through early spring. You may have observed the first hit of an infestation is a yellowing of the surface of the leaves due to insect feeding. When you turn the leaves over, you see the white to brown insect portions. Leaves protected from winds, rains and such are most likely to be affected. These are often at the bottom of the plants and toward the back. One natural control is a horticultural oil spray found at garden centers. Follow the label instructions and coat the insects with the spray. Repeat sprays may be needed throughout the year. One often more effective control is an application of a systemic insecticide obtained at garden centers to use as a spray or soil treatment as instructed. One application may control the scale for months. With either of these treatments, the scale stops feeding and may turn brown but does not fall off the leaves.

Tea scale on a camellia leaf. (Courtesy Tom MacCubbin)

Q. We bought several mums, and the flowers are starting to fade. What should we do with the plants?

A. Help these mum plants, also known as chrysanthemums, to be repeat performers by cutting off the spent blooms. Remove the flowering stems back to among the foliage and set the plants in an outdoor area with lots of light but no nighttime light. These plants need short days of fall through early spring to start more blooms. Keep the containers moist and apply a slow-release fertilizer as instructed on the label. Regretfully, the flower display won’t likely be as good as when the plants were purchased, but it should still produce some great color.

Q. I have a hibiscus in a large pot that has not bloomed in six weeks. I have fertilized several times to no avail. I also used bone meal.  What can I do?

A. Give your hibiscus a break to make growth, and then get back in flowering mode. Also, stop the frequent feedings. Too much fertilizer pushes outgrowth at the expense of blooms. During the cooler weather, new blooms may be slow to appear, but by spring, your plant could be flowering again. Keep fertilizer applications to once every two to three months using a slow-release product made for container plantings.

This Beautyberry bush sports purple berries. (Courtesy Tom MacCubbin)

Q. I found a shrub with clusters of purple berries growing in a natural area of my yard. What is the plant, and should I let it grow?

A. Enjoy attractive berry clusters during the fall and winter months on the American beautyberry bush. This is a native plant that grows to about five feet wide and tall. Birds feed on the berries and may spread the seeds throughout landscapes, where they grow best in filtered sun with minimal care. During late winter, prune the shrubs as needed to keep them compact and in bounds.  They should respond with lots of growth and lavender flowers for spring.

Q. I saved two poinsettias from curbside discards last year that are looking nice, full but still green. To get the best color, when should I keep the light on them?

A. Don’t turn on the light — turn it off. Allow your poinsettia to only receive normal daylight, which at this time of the year is about eleven hours. Poinsettias are what horticulturists call short-day plants. This means if they get light at night, even for a short period of time, it inhibits flowering. After the plants produce red bracts, they can receive light at night while on display in the home or landscape.

Q. New growths on two of my palms are not opening properly. The leaves tend to stick together. What is the problem?

A. Palms are often forgotten plants until something goes wrong.  What you describe are typical boron deficiency symptoms.  A central cluster of leaves emerges from the bud but sticks together and, when they open, are often crinkled or contorted. Boron deficiencies in palms have become common in recent years. Some feel the nutrient is being washed out of sandy soils during the rainy season or by over-watering. Luckily, the problem is easy to cure with a minor nutrient spray that contains boron or a palm fertilizer where boron is included with the minor nutrients. Boron is normally not applied by itself by gardeners as it is easy to use too much, which can become toxic to plants. It is best to apply other nutrients included with normal feedings.

Q. Our St. Augustine lawn has many bare spots where weeds once grew. Do we still have time to add plugs of turf to these areas?

A. Feel free to add the new turf as plugs or portions of sod.  As long as the weather is warm, you can expect the turf to form roots and make growth. Plugs added at this time could fill in the bare spots by spring. Do keep these areas moist and control weeds that may want to fill in the bare spots too.

Tom MacCubbin is an urban horticulturist emeritus with the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, P.O. Box 2833, Orlando, FL. 32802. Email: TomMac1996@aol.com. 

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