White Fungus? on Sapodilla tree

[patongphil]

Anyone know what this is and more importantly what to do about it?

[NigelKennedy]

Looks like mildew...cut it out and burn it.

[samuijimmy]

It could be Mealybugs.... it's hard to say from the photo... not to difficult to control, read this.... rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab will help, if not too much of it!

http://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/houseplant-pests/mealybug-control/

The black fungus one the leaves is sooty mold

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sooty_mold

Neem oil is also suggested as treatment for both.... not hard to find in Thailand or even make your own if there are Neem trees in your area... (steep leaves and fruit in water for about 2 weeks)

[xen]

double post

[xen]

I think Jimmy could be right about the mealybugs or else it could be a scale like rose scale or white louse scale. Eithway a spray of Neem oil or white oil or even cooking oil will suffocate them .

The sooty mould is a result of aphids that are indicative of ants that use the aphids for honey dew. Control the ants and the aphids will not be a problem. You can wash the sooty mould off by using washing soda and water.

[Wojciech M]

Have you done any soil test recently?

[AdBk]

Hi all.

 

A bit of a strange request. I am looking to procure the tree sap of the sapodilla tree (also known as chicle). I am aware in thailand this tree is grown for its fruit but I need the sap for some product testing. If anyone has any information please do contact me.

[drtreelove]

Not powdery mildew, mealy bugs maybe, but looks more like a wooly aphid to me.  strong water spray will dislodge mealy bugs and greatly reduce numbers, but wooly aphids may need additional mechanical removal, like by hand (with cotton glove or rag) .  For one or small number of reachable plants, this type of mechanical removal is the most practical. For a larger planting or larger plants, then you may need to go to chemical methods. Systemic insecticide is effective, but not appropriate for food producing plants. 

 

Neem oil or petroleum based horticultural oil or other contact insecticide is most effective on the crawler stage of scale insect pests and not on adults or wooly aphids, which are protected from contact spray materials by the waxy coatings. Neem oil every two weeks would be needed, but I haven't found a 70% neem oil product in Thailand, only Azadirachtin concentrates. These are much more expensive, and don't have some of the properties that oil does.

 

Consider your soil fertility management and fertilization. High Nitrogen chemical fertilizers are a pest magnet. Slow release complete organic fertilizers are more plant friendly. 

 

Wojciech is right, soil testing and prescription amendments is the best, but sometimes not affordable for a small planting.  Are you Wojciech the author of "Fertilizer For Free" ?  If so, in your profile please post the website for members to access this excellent book on green manure. 

 

Xen, welcome back.