On Jul 16, 5:06*pm, "Spider" wrote:
"Paul" wrote in message

...
On Jul 16, 12:15 am, "Spider" wrote:



"echinosum" wrote in message

...

'Spider[_2_ Wrote:
;856237']"Paul" wrote in message
...-
Sorry for not being able to offer an accurate description of the
problem but I'm a complete newbie at gardening. I'm posting another
question separately, too. I have a plant that looks a little
palm-tree-
ish and it appears to be growing fine. However it has a sticky
secretion on the underside of its leaves and I'd really like to know
what it is.

The whole plant:http://tinyurl.com/mgdvnw
The secretion:http://tinyurl.com/npsgve

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Paul
-

I couldn't receive your first picture, but the second shows another
Cordyline. I can see some white detritus which may be the old egg
cases of
aphids. I suggest you spray with insecticide, but be careful not to
overwet
the crown. The stickiness you're feeling is the secretion (actually,
excretion) of the aphids, often known as 'honeydew', for obvious
reasons.
The aphids, if left, will suck the sap of your plant, which is bad
enough,
but they may also introduce virus from another plant. It is unlikely
that
you would be able to treat the virus so the plant would need to be
destroyed. Another secondary problem is that the honeydew can attract
black
sooty mould, which is more unsightly than harmful, but still unwanted.
When
clean of the pest, you may wish to sponge the leaves carefully.

Spider
The first picture to me is plainly Dracaena marginata, a common
house-plant, neither a cordyline (cabbage tree) nor a palm. If I only
had the second picture, I wouldn't know what it was. But whatever it
is, I would have offered the same diagnosis as Spider.
--
echinosum

I bow to your greater wisdom, Echinosum, esp since you saw the bigger
picture (as the saying goes). Thanks for your support on the remiander.
:~)

Spider

Hi all,

Thanks for such detailed responses!

Charlie - I am in Israel so harsh winters are not so much of a
problem :-)

Spider - I'm trying to see what "white detritus' you mean. It could be
the photograph because the material on the underside of the base of
the leaves in the centre of the photograph is a clear-ish sticky
substance. The top side of the leaves towards the bottom of the
picture are just very dusty (it's hard to keep them free of dust in
the desert!) - is that what you were referring to? If you click on the
picture a couple of times it allows you to zoom in. Could you describe
in more detail where the detritus you describe is located?

Thanks again in advance,

Paul

Hi Paul,

I see what you mean. *I zoomed right in (400 o/o) and it was apparent that
what looked white is actually clear globules reflecting white light! *Sorry
about that.

Mmmm. *It could still be aphid honeydew of course, although there's no real
evidence now. *I suppose it's just possible that the plant could be weeping
sap. *If it were my plant (and bearing in mind there are partial leaves
where you've cut it back), I would cut away another band of leaf and **very
carefully** taste the sap. *Wash your mouth out well afterwards! *I don't
know myself whether it's bitter or sweet but, supposing it's bitter .. and
the honeydue is sweet, you will know if the drops are sap or not. *I would
understand if you didn't feel safe doing this, especially as the result
isn't exactly a precise indicator. *The remaining options are to a) live
with it *or b) spray with an insecticde anyway, then clean up the foliage.
It's really up to you. *At the moment, it's not particularly unsightly and
the plant looks healthy.

Have a really close look in the leaf bases and central shoot to see if there
is any kind of pest (aphid, red spider mite ..). * Because you're in Israel,
there may be a pest unknown to Britain, so you would need to check with your
local garden centre or a good library.

Spider

Hi Spider,
Thanks for getting back to me again. As far as I can tell, there are
no pests hiding between the leaf bases but you never know. I didn't
realise plants sometimes just leaked sap. Your suggestion of local
knowledge is probably the most sensible - I might go back to where I
bought it with a leaf to ask them what they think.
Thanks again,
Paul