I sent in a question last week but apparently it didin't go to the list. I have three large Angel Trumpets (Brugs) with mottled green and yellow leaves. I have checked for white flies but there are none. I had a problem with them two years ago when I planted gourds. Do you have any idea what the cause could be? Thanks, Bobbieray
Hi there Bobbieray!!! Nice to see you here at GardenStew. I moderate the boards and I didn't see a topic from you about Brugs last week while checking the posts. Hope I didn't miss it. I e.mailed a friend of mine about your AT problem and this is her reply: "[info=brugmansia]Brugmansia[/info] leaves do yellow and mottle regularly Eileen. Here are a few things for Bobbieray to try. Any good quality compost will do to pot up Brugs but ensure they have good drainage, although they need lots of watering they don't like their roots in water. They are very greedy plants I feed mine with miracle grow 2-3 times a week in the summer. Lots of people actually grow them as a standard if the climate allows but remember that they don't like cold weather and are not frost hardy. He will need to check for red spider mite , this is another cause of leaf yellowing. They are very difficult to spot, they look like pepper dust on the underneath of the leaves. Spray the leaves with a fine spray of water and look for very fine spiders webs on the ends of the branches. I use the Ultimate Bug Killer with Pravado to control mine or you can get nematodes if he is an organic gardener like you. He will need to spray about every 7 days for a couple of weeks to eradicate this pest, it's best done at night when the leaves are standing up so the spray gets onto the underside of the leaf (also best time to feed with miracle grow) but it's worth it. Hope this helps Bobbieray and tell him good luck from me." Hope this helps you out.
Thanks. Well I went out a fed them some Miracle grow. I was only feeding them every two weeks. Looks like I better up that a bunch! I examined the leaves closely and I saw a few tiny bugs which I will wash away. There aren't very many of them but even one probably signals a problem. I have never heard of that insecticide. Would sevin work or soap suds? I hate using insecticides unless all else fails... Thank you I appreciate the help. Barb
I don't use insecticides at all in my own garden Bibbieray so don't know the product either. I usually wipe any bugs off or if there's a really bad infestation I spray with soapy water. Works fine for me. I think the spray Ina was talking about in her e.mail may be a Dutch product as she's from Holland.
