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Sun, Mar 20, 11 at 20:16
| Hello, We have 6 or 7 gumbo limbos in the yard and a few of them are doing awful. 2 years ago they were quite a sight, but this Winter they lost most leaves and now have lichens growing on most branches... not a good thing. I spoke with an arborist about a year ago on how a few of the gumbos were covered with scale and black mildewy soot. He said the same thing happened to some of his and also to many in the South Florida area. I sprayed the trees and they did better this season as far as bugs go, but over the Summer they started losing leaves again and now the lichen have grown on most branches. Has anyone had this problem? Does anyone know what I could try? What sort of fertilizer, how often etc...? and I'm thinking they may not have received enough water (due to sprinkler system issues) and I'm not sure if that contributed. Please help!
2 and 3 years ago people would always stop and ask what type of trees they were and how beautiful they looked. Not anymore. Thanks. Joss |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Gumbo Limbo is a Florida native, so it shouldn't need a lot of extra irrigation. They are deciduous, so they will drop every leaf, every year. The lichens indicate that the branches are getting more sun, in other words, less leaves during the growing season, so there's another problem at work here. You might try some fertilizer now that the weather is warming up and we might have some rain. |
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- Posted by matersammich 10 (My Page) on Wed, Nov 2, 11 at 19:18
| Gumbo limbos are under attack from a new whitefly. It causes sooty mold and leaf loss. You need to pour imidacloprid around the base of the tree. It will perk up in a couple of weeks. |
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- Posted by starryrider (My Page) on Wed, Nov 2, 11 at 20:17
| Bayer Tree and Shrub works really well on whitefly |
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- Posted by gatormomx2 9a (My Page) on Thu, Nov 3, 11 at 6:35
| Bayer Tree and Shrub works well on ALL trees and shrubs. It takes time and does not work fast but is SOOOO worth it! I like Bayer Tree and Shrub concentrate that you mix in a bucket of water. Pour on the ground and you're done. Super easy. The drench contains a fungicide and insecticide. This product brought my ancient Viburnum and Ligustrum back from the dead. |
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| Since you have so many gumbo limbo trees to treat, you might want to consider having them professionally treated. The pros use a higher concentration of imidacloprid. A normal bottle of Bayer from the box store may only treat 2 trees. (This whitefly was the topic at our last MG meeting) |
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- Posted by starryrider (My Page) on Fri, Nov 4, 11 at 12:34
| gatormom....Bayer Tree and Shrub does not kill fungus. It kills only insects but that keeps the tree healthy and strong allowing it to help fight off fungus. |
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