Pests And Disease

Bonsai Gardening Secrets

Pests And Disease

Like any other plant or tree, Bonsai will be susceptible to pests. If caught early andtaken care of properly, you can save your treasured tree.

SPIDER MITES
The number one pest enemy of Bonsai is spider mites. The best way to get a handle on this problem immediately is to monitor your Bonsai on a regular basis. In fact, you should get into the habit of preventing these pests in the first place, although that is often not as easy as it sounds. First, you need to use a low toxic level of pesticide, whether chemical or organic, as soon as you see signs of spider mites.

Identification
The most visible of the spider mites are the red variety. You will actually see them crawling around on the leaves as very tiny red specks. Although small, they can be seen. If you were unsure, take a white piece of paper and while holding it under one of the suspect leaves, gently tap the leave so a few drop to the paper. This will make them much easier to identify.

You might also notice a small web like material that resembles some type of debris on the underside of the leaves or tiny pearls that are actually eggs. Other mites could be translucent with two dark spots on the back. No matter which type of spider mite you have, always check on the underneath portion of the leaves. If the plants are really badly infected, the leaves will be yellow with red mottling.

If you still cannot see the mites make sure your Bonsai has them, you can use a magnifying glass. Although spider mites are not considered an aggressive mover, meaning they will generally stay on one leaf or nearby leaves, the can be moved by birds, animal hair, and even clothing. Typically, spider mites are much worse when the weather is dry and dusty
although they can attack in any condition.

You need to learn if your particular Bonsai is a type of plant enjoyed by spider mites and then if you find your Bonsai has them, isolate the plant so they are away from uninfected plants. Many species are susceptible, particularly Junipers, Boxwood, Apples, and Blackberries.

In most cases, spider mites will be the worst in the springtime, peaking in the latter summer months. Then when the weather begins to cool down, they will multiple but at a much slower pace. The lifecycle of spider mites

is anywhere from seven to 10 days, laying eggs throughout. Any treatment should be repeated over the course of one week to ensure the adults and any hatchlings have been killed. When you do spray, make sure the bottom of the leaves is focused on most. However, you do need to treat the entire Bonsai. If you have the time, you can grow or buy predator mites, which although very expensive, they do help.

FUNGUS
As touched on earlier, fungal infections are something else you need to watch for when growing Bonsai. Try to use a fungicide that is organic first, turning only to chemical as a last resort. Additionally, you want to read any label scarefully.

Some products are not meant to work on the specific disease that you are trying to control. That means using it anyway and hoping it will help can sometimes cause damage to your prized Bonsai. You should also find a very small place on your Bonsai to test the product before treating the entire tree, just in case.

The best type of fungicide is one that is protecting. That means it is comprised of a shield that will protect your plants healthy tissue. If your Bonsai already is infected with a fungus, then you want to eradicate, which will help kill it. Then to protect uninfected portions of the Bonsai, you would use s systemic fungicide.

If the Bonsai’s root system has a fungus, it can usually be protected very effectively with Thiophanate methyl. Roots are obviously more difficult to treat. Therefore, you will need to apply the fungicide to the soil as a drench so it can then travel through the plant systematically. Another problem with roots is that because the soil stays moist, it is loaded with diverse microbes. Because of this, the fungicide will probably degrade quickly, meaning you will need to give more than one application.

The following are recommendations specifically for fungus and Bonsai:

• Leaf spots – Benomyl, Chlorothalonil, Mancozeb, Propiconazole, Triadimefon
• Powdery Mildew-Triadimefon
• Rust- Chlorothalonil, Mancozeb, Propiconazole
• Root Rot (water mold) – Fosetyl-A1, Metalaxyl
• Root Rot (fungi) – Methyl, Thiophanate
• Seed Treatment - Captan



Bonsai Gardening Secrets