Monday, 2 September 2013
Pimple Bumps
This is a common problem, particularly at this time of year. This is Lilly Pilly Gall, it is caused by a little sap sucking insect called a Psyllid. The pimple like growth is the plants reaction to the insects feeding. It is not usually detrimental to the plant and will usually just make it look really unsightly for a while. Although I have seen some pretty severe infestations where the new stem growth was becomming distorted due to the large number of psyllids. The biggest recommendation on controlling lilly pilly gall, is to plant resistant varieties. Unfortunately this can be rather impractical if you already have an established plant. White Oil and soap sprays are a way of controlling this pets but you really do have to stay on top of treatments. These are both contact treatments, meaning that if the spray doesnt make contact with the pest, it wont work. A systemic pesticide is more effective, though not as eco friendly as I would like it to be. I would recommend Confidor, as it is the less toxic of the pesticides on the market. A word of caution, DO NOT EAT THE FRUIT if you choose any chemical treatment. Please. If you are planning to eat the fruit from your lilly pilly, then use soap sprays or Beta Bug or anything like that, or you can simply not spray and put up with the bumpy leaves.
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