Sticky leaves on a Weeping Fig can be more than an aesthetic issue. Find out here the two most common causes of resinous plaque. How to solve the problem on your Benjamini with home remedies.
Sticky leaves are often a sign of pests
Cause #1: Sticky waste product from pests
Sucking pests extract the sap from your birch fig and excrete sugary honeydew as a waste product. This spreads as a dark, sticky coating on the leaves. Unfortunately, fungal spores use the patina as a breeding ground, so that the pest infestation is followed by an infection with sooty mold fungi. To fix the problem:
- Moisten a soft cloth with lukewarm, lime-free water
- Wipe off any sticky leaves on the top and bottom
- Then rinse the birch fig upside down
Experience has shown that the shower does not eliminate all pests. Therefore, treat the affected Benjamini with the classic soft soap solution. This consists of 1 liter of boiled water and one tablespoon each of soft soap (€44.90) and alcohol.
Fight scale insects with tougher bandages
As long as the sticky leaves are due to aphids, mealybugs and mealybugs, the soft soap solution proves to be a powerful home remedy. However, if you are dealing with cup or lid scale insects, you need to bring out more powerful artillery. Wipe off the foliage with an alcohol-soaked cloth. Then dust the birch fig with kiesegur. This natural sediment dust dissolves the shell and the lice die off.
Cause #2: Leaking plant sap
If you cut back your birch fig, the milky sap will flow freely. This is not only toxic, but also sticky. Therefore, ideally carry out the pruning in the garden and then rinse the Benjamini thoroughly. Alternatively, have small pieces of absorbent kitchen fleece ready before cutting. Put this immediately on every cut so that it cannot bleed out.
If a few drops fall on the leaves underneath, wipe them off immediately with lukewarm water.
tips
If your birch fig is outside in the garden or on the balcony, approaching hordes of ants signal an infestation with lice. Ants rave about the sticky honeydew left by aphids. In this way, you can recognize the presence of the tiny pests before sticky leaves form and take appropriate control measures.