Dwarf lime tree with something?

[ninnymary]

I have a dwarf lime tree that has been in a pot for awhile. Lately it has started getting something black on it's leaves. All of the leaves look like they are covered with black soot. A branch is touching the deck rail and the rail also has this black soot.

Today, I washed each leave with soapy water to see if this helps.

Anyone know what it is? How should I treat it?

Thanks
Mary

 

[patandchickens]

Check for spider mites or aphids or scale, any of which (IME, most often spider mites) excrete teensy droplets of sugary liquid that then grow that black sooty mildew or whatever exactly it is.

Treat the spider mites or aphids or scale, and the black stuff will go away. (In the meantime you can gently wash it off in the shower or with a damp cloth, if it bugs you)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[ninnymary]

Pat.. Thanks for responding. But how do I treat for spider mites, scale, aphids, etc.? I want to use something that is organic. Let me know.

Thanks
Mary

 

[insiderart]

Look at the undersides of the leaves. (The leaves above the sooty mold.) What do you see?

 

[Ladyhawke1]

I was not going to post this until I was sure of the results. I had a problem with aphids on my cabbages and something was gnawing on my Scarlett runners. I have sprayed some of my veggies with Dr. Bronners Peppermint Castile Soap. This can be found at most health food stores.

I used a half of a teaspoon in about 500 milliliters of plain water. I sprayed early in the morning when it was cool. I sprayed both sides of the leaves. So far, it does not seem to harm the plants. It may be too soon or just wishful thinking on my part but the plants seems better. I will try to keep you posted.

I used this product because after reading the labels on the so called safe spray products at Home Depot, I did not want to use them. Scary!

 

[patandchickens]

First it helps to look closely and figure out whether it is spider mites, aphids, scale, or what. Aphids look like little teeny bugs; spider mites spin teensy cobwebs, esp. where leaves attach to twigs or twigs attach to branches; scale looks like little "limpets" attached to twigs and branches and leaves, and may be hard to distinguish from an anatomical feature of the plant.

If it is scale, the first thing to do is remove alllllll the ones you can see (yes, checking over every inch of every branch and twig and leaf) by squooshing them gently off with your finger or a piece of rag.

Then, once you've done that or if you have determined it is actually spider mites or aphids, you have two choices: a) you can test some insecticidal soap (BUY it, do not try to make it, the homemade is hard on plants) on a few leaves, wait three or four days, then if those leaves still seem ok treat the whole plant with emphasis on the UNDERSIDES of the leaves, repeat every few weeks; or b) if you want the even more organic, but harder, way, you can mash some newspaper over the soil atop the pot, tie the pot up tight in a plastic bag (your goal is to make it spillproof even when upside down), then go wash the plant in the shower in cool (not cold, not hot) water, gently massaging each twig and leaf to clean the buggies off it. Repeat as needed.

Any of these things that make the sticky honeydew that grows the sooty mold can be rather hard to get rid of, so do not be lulled into a false sense of complacency, keep re-checking, re-treat as needed.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Ladyhawke1]

Oh, did I mention, there is a difference between castile soap and detergent.

http://www.snwa.com/html/land_main_pests.html :mow