Monday, June 28, 2010

What is plaguing my Angel Trumpet?

Posted by: Dawn

I wished I'd thought to take progression photos but I assumed this issue was a one time thing. Nope, it was a three time issue.

Tina gave me an angel trumpet two winters ago and it did fine the first winter. It did not grow too much but took off once I planted it outside in the spring. Since the winter in Maine would kill my precious angel trumpet I dug it up and babied it inside away from the cold weather. Well, I expected it to lose some leaves and it did. The leaves turned yellow and wilted. Soon enough though the plant was looking good with nice green growth on top, big leaves and such. I was proud of myself!


Over time I noticed the leaves wilting and turning a pale green again. Upon closer inspection I could see.....just barely.....a tough but faint webbing with little dots suspended inside of it. Eww. I cleaned the trumpet off and washed the leaves with water and some slight soap.

Like I said this happened three times this winter but each time my trumpet had a nice recovery with good growth and then....behold the pesty problem. I'd like to know what this is and how to get rid of it for good. The pest has not bothered my other plants just my trumpet. I sure wish I could start the summer with a beautiful tree not just a thick green stick....


What is plaguing my trumpet vine? In the Garden

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

19 comments:

  1. Good morning Dawn, I'm so glad to see the angel trumpet is still hanging tough, albeit giving you problems. I suspect it might be spider mites plaguing your angel. A good insect soap should keep them away. I think they are attracted to stressed plants when it's dry. If you keep the angel moist that might help. At least down here that is the issue. My Alberta spruces can get infested with spider mites. A big mess and I actually lost a few when we had that drought a few years ago. I hope it blooms for you this year!

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  2. Good Morning All.
    Tina, Dawn, Skeeter, Jean, Anonymous & Nina. I hope your day is a good one.

    I have 2 angel trumpets of which neither has bloomed. 1 of which brother brought me last yr. is in a pot. I thought it had died from too cold so he brought me another this Spring. It is in the ground. They are both cuttings from his master plant. The one in the ground hasn't grown much {looks like a stick with a few leaves}. Maybe too much sun?
    The poor things sure need some help.

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  3. They are gorgeous in the Conservatory or on Tropical Islands but mine proved to be a pain to help it survive here on the tundra. Sorry! :) It never bloomed and got so big my spouse said it had to go...

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  4. I hope your angel trumpet recovers! As long as it's growing, there is always hope!

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  5. Oh, what a shame, they are so pretty. Sounds like spider mites to me too. It's really hard to keep the right balance of moisture on a potted plant, especially one in a pot that small. Letting the soil get too dry is a big stresser for plants and a secondary effect is often mites. Sometimes getting rid of mites is a long process so you may have to hose off the mites twice a day for a couple weeks or use an insecticidal soap for a couple weeks. There will be newly hatching eggs for a while. I'd also put it in high shade for a while until it recovers. Good luck.
    Marnie

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  6. I'm sorry I don't know what the problem is, but thanks for posting about it. A friend gave me two of these and I promptly forgot their name and was hesitant to ask her, lol. Now I know. :) (I will need to take mine in over the winter.)

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  7. The problem sounds like spider mites to me too. Wash the plant with a tissue dipped in water to get rid of the webs, eggs and the bugs then treat with an insecticidal soap or Pyrethrin to get rid of any bugs you have missed. You will have to repeat the process. I hope it recovers Dawn.

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  8. Mine that Tina gave me has already died so I bought one this year . I had planted the one Tina gave me in the garden but the one I bought I have in a big pot in front of the deck so I can keep my eyes on it and baby it. It does seem to be doing okay so far but I do water it nearly every day as I suspected it needt to be kept moist. Think that might be why it died in the garden as I did not water out there. It is not growing real big like Tina's but is keeping nice green leaves. I am sure all the commenters are right about the spider mites.

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  9. Good Morning all! The Heat is on in Georgia, I tell ya....

    Tina also passed a long a Angel Trumpet to me and it is thriving in my yard. I snapped pictures of it yesterday and plan to post on it Thursday. I take it you have the nasty Spider Mites as most say. I hate those things as they have infested lots of my porch plants over the years. Good Luck with your Angel...

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  10. Spider mites. You've got to get rid of them. Let the top inch of the soil dry out completely once you've treated it. They need moisture to survive. Once it dries out, water with a gallon of water and a tablespoon of Epson Salt. Then start fertilizing with Miracle Gro. Good luck. I don't grow them in pots, only in ground.

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  11. I hope it will pull through for you. They are such pretty flowers. I get spider mites on some of my indoor plants, they drive me crazy.

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  12. Hi -hope your Angel starts to recover soon.
    Another nice warm day here -track adn cross country for the kiddos later.
    Hi Lola, Jean, Nina, Tina and Skeeter -hope you all have a fabulous day! Ciao
    My garden is being pretty generous -more peas, beans, peppers and cucumbers than we can handle -sharing is fun though:)

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  13. have a nice time, my dear friends ! Kathrin, Bremen

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  14. Hi guys,
    Tina, I suspected spider mites because the word "mites", these things are tiny. I never knew there is insect soap, I'll have to get some. I hope it blooms too, it's all coming back since I placed it on the deck. Fingers crossed.
    Lola, my trumpet did not budge for the first winter and I was starting to think ?. It grew taller last year, the second year of having it.Maybe next year will be it's year.
    Troutbirder, How big is big? Oh no, maybe getting a condition is a good thing!
    Gardener on SS, Thanks! I knew there was a reason not to give up!
    Monica, Glad to help. Have fun!
    Melanie, Thanks, I know Pyrethrin is the sap from mum plants, right? Watching too much ''Billy the Exterminater" Ha! Stuff does wonders though.

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  15. Marnie, It sounds like quite the process. There is a good deal of shade on my deck and it's already moved:)
    Mom, Keeping it in a pot seems to be the best for us Notherners!
    Hi Skeeter! I can't wait to see your trumpet. A nursery has a few along the roadway and they are beautiful. Those mites like this one plant, hopefully not on any others.
    Tom, Thanks on the advise. We use epson salts on the veggies. Great idea.
    Catherine, These sure are annoying.
    Anonymous, Yum! I bet the kids are lovin' the veggies. Hope you had a great day.
    Kathrin, Smiles from the U.S.

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  16. Oh yeah, spider mites LOVE brugmansias. Last year I overwintered mine in the garage stairwell, after tiring of dealing with the mites. It's cold and dark in there, but rarely freezes. I watched the melted snow puddles in the garage, and when they froze (twice) I wheeled the stairwell plants indoors overnight. I kept the brug, elephant ears, and hibiscus out there, and they all survived.

    Don't be afraid to lop off the top of it to stimulate new growth. They really respond well to pruning. They are really thirsty plants, and heavy feeders too.

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  17. I see that others have already mentioned the spider mites--I hope some control methods will take care of the problem. I have trouble getting plants to overwinter, even without spider mites:)

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  18. my angel trumpet sat in water overnight after a heavy rain. dumped the water this morning but i noticed some leaves are drooping. do i need to re-pot.

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    1. I would not think so Paula. Just give it a chance to dry out and it should perk up.

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