A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems My Jewels of Opar (Talinum Paniculatum) has some problem too

Hi,

You guys are helping me with my other plant, the Desert rose...

Well today I noticed that my OTHER plant has something going on with it it too...although whatever "it" is looks totally different.

What is going on with my plants? I should mention we had a LOT of rain here in the last couple of weeks...

CM

Try filling the pot to within an inch of the top with a quality starter soil or potting soil, water it down, then fill again to near the top.
at the same time, use root stimulator or organic liquid seawood fert when you water, at transplant. Dont worry about parasites until you see them increase, but update us at least weekly.

Thank you Dave - would you mind telling me why you think I should do that? (I like to learn so I know for next time).

Can you ID what kinds of bugs they are?

Well, as to the soil level, it's simply that plants tend to prosper with adequate soil for the roots, and more soil helps provide more even moisture between waterings. Plenty of soil also means better odds of getting proper nutrients to the plant. Overall health of plants helps with resistance to insect infestation, a stressed plant is much more likely to have pests and disease.
As to what insect parasite you have, I would be tempted to say it is some type of scale...you might try googling scale or either the common name or the latin name of the plant along with the word scale, I don't automatically recognize that pest.
BTW, please post pics at various stages of growth and/or flowering, I bought seed for Jewels of Opar but didn't get around to planting...I was fascinated by the name, because as a kid (brat) I read all of the Tarzan stories, and I still remember one called TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR!
I think that story was when Tarzan went into the center of the Earth. I wish I still had that childhood naivete so I could lose myself in those books again!!!!!

Dave,, Tk sent me Jewels of opar seeds a few years ago,, and I get them back every year since,, they self seed,, and look better planted in a mass group because the blooms are so very tiny.

Hey Dave,

Thanks for the explanation about the soil...I don't know why the soil level got so low. The only thing that scares me about more soil is that I could've sworn I read somewhere that you never want to go above the previous soil because it can kill the plant. I'm not sure if it applies here but it makes me a little hesitant.

I will definitely try to remember to post some pics for you...I think this plant is so pretty, I love the tiny flowers.

Thanks for all your help.

You make a good point about that, the soil too high on the stem. I'm used to relying on a slightly green thumb when working with plants. I would gently lift if and add a little soil to fill back, but only if you think you won't hurt anything, no sense making life any harder than it is...
as to the pest, I'm starting o think it's a scale...It sure looks like the tiny eggs butterflies lay, but butterflies tend to have a very narrow and specific list of plants they would lay eggs on.

Sorry, no, those are definitely eggs and not a scale insect, I was looking at it again. I swear it has to be some type of butterfly egg. I grow a number of plants that butterflies feed on in the larval stage, and in my case, these are basically sacrificial. The larva sometimes destroy a lot of foliage, but that's not a good idea for an indoor plant. Leave the eggs out of curiosity or simply rub them off the leaves, my curiosity would lead me to leave some or all of them.