Ficus Hedge Bug

For the green fingered and water lovers.
Post Reply
User avatar
oylero
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 5:28 pm

Ficus Hedge Bug

Post by oylero »

Just want to share a success story for any gardener with similar problem. I have a 15m ficus hedge across front of the property. About 2-3 years ago I noticed that its leaves began falling unexplainably. We ended with piles of brown dried up leaves inside and beneath the hedge. We thought that we were loosing the hedge.

OK I thought, a need to spray. So the usual hedge spray remedies were brought out and repeated. No good. It was an insect / mite of unknown name, but devastating. We lost about 50-60% foliage. Big gaps. The problem was that this insect / mite had the ability to shelter itself within a curled up leaf. Like in a nest. So spraying had very little / limited effect. Didn't hit the mark.

Reading up I learned of a product which is a root insecticide. So gets to the problem from within the plant itself. So over a period of 3 months I flooded the roots of each bush with water mixed with the root insecticide. Separately I then fed the bushes with 20-20-20 fertiliser followed 6 months later with another dose of root insecticide

Result brilliant. Hedge now back to apparently full health. Full foliage. Growing well. Moral -try root incecticides and feed if spray not working.

OylerO
oylero
Post Reply