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Elisabeth C. Miller Library

Keyword: Insecticidal soap

managing aphids on Meyer lemon trees

My Meyer lemon has aphids all over it and has lost its leaves! I just brought it inside for the winter. What can I do?

The aphids were more than likely already there, even if not enough for you to notice, and once inside the warm(er) house they multiplied. Aphids do love citrus plants. The leaves probably fell off due to the temperature change they experienced coming indoors.

The following information was found on p. 278 of the 2001 edition of the Sunset Western Garden Book:

Citrus in containers. Fertilize monthly from midwinter to mid-autumn with high-nitrogen liquid fertilizer, containing chelated zinc, iron, and manganese. Potted citrus … in cold-winter regions: shelter plants in winter; a cool greenhouse is best, but a basement area or garage with good bright light is satisfactory.

Many of the common products sold in nurseries or garden centers contain the trace elements listed in the Sunset info above. Also, there are specific formulations for citrus available, also carried by many nurseries and garden centers.

…Sunset Western Garden Book continued…Citrus as houseplants. No guarantee of flowering or fruiting indoors, though plants are still appealing. ‘Improved Meyer’ and ‘Ponderosa’ lemons [other citrus names omitted] are most likely to produce good fruit. Locate no farther than 6 ft. from a sunny window, away from radiators or other heat sources. Ideal humidity level is 50 percent. Increase moisture by misting tree; also ring tree with pebble-filled trays of water. Water sparingly in winter…

I grow 2 Meyer lemons and find that they do best outside until the temperature goes down into the 20s. They are pretty hardy. The aphid problem is not a problem outside until spring.

If you have a sun porch at your house, that might be a great place to put the lemon in winter.

As for the aphids, Colorado State University Extension provides information on insect control using insecticidal soap. You can purchase it or make your own: 1 teaspoon of soap (the mildest you can find) per quart of water, sprayed on both sides of the leaves and on growing surfaces.

Jade plant care

I have been nursing a Jade plant cutting that dropped off an overwatered and rotting larger plant. It has been thriving in my windowsill for 6 months or so, and has grown a lot already.

In the last week or so, I have noticed a strange white speckling on the upper surface of almost all of its leaves. Upon close inspection, it does not look like insects; it looks sort of like a detergent residue, and if I scrape my nail against the surface of the leaf, a lot of it will come off, albeit with effort.

Do you know whether this is something I need to treat?

 

I wouldn’t assume the spots are a problem. As the following link to North Dakota State University Extension (now archived) mentions, it might be salt crystals that you are seeing:
“Those dots are salt crystals and can be wiped off with a damp cloth or just ignored because they are not causing any harm to the plant. All water (except distilled) contains some salt. When fertilizer is added to the root system, the plant takes up the nutrient salts with the water. As the water moves through the leaf pores during transpiration, the salts often are left behind on the surface.”

However, if you were to use a hand lens (not just the naked eye) and discover insects, there are resources with information on identifying and treating insect problems on indoor plants.

1. Pest and Diseases of Succulent Plants

2. Washington State University’s PestSense site lists several common houseplant pests, with information about treatment.

Always test any spray on one leaf before spraying the entire plant. Wait a few days after the test spray. Some plants are more sensitive to various soaps or oils.

3. The Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides also has a guide to Growing Houseplants Without Using Pesticides.