Need help identifying this bug on my spectabilis?

Controlling pests of bamboo

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calltc1983
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Need help identifying this bug on my spectabilis?

Post by calltc1983 »

I have some strange bugs on my Spectabilis and it is dying although I am not sure if the bug is the actual reason it is dying. I recently left town for a few days and my girlfreind moved the plant right above the heater so its had a constant blast of heat right on it. Also I have not planted it outside yet because winter is quickly approaching although I know Spectabilis are cold hardy bamboo it is a young plant and I don'tt want risk killing so I put it in what I had for now which is a 10gallon pot until I get a bigger one and then in spring plant it outside. But it has been in this small pot for a couple months now so I'm thinking this could be another reason it is dying. Any help would be appreciated thanks

Also I have 2 other plants within a foot of this plant and they are not affected with bugs they are a Ivy and a musa basjoo

here are pics http://postimage.org/gallery/act7h8ya/
stevelau1911
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Re: Need help identifying this bug on my spectabilis?

Post by stevelau1911 »

It looks like that spectabilis might be a goner, but with some green leaves, it might still have a chance. It also looks like it is the indoor conditions that are causing the decline, not really the bugs. I think the only chance you have of saving it is to put it back outside, get it used to the outdoor temperatures, and then lay the pot on its side, and tarp it over with something like plastic.

If you happen to be in zone 4 or cooler, then you might need some Christmas lights to keep it from freezing. I personally have yet to lose a bamboo let alone get leaf burn on bamboos that I keep under a tarp. Even if it ends up dying, I'm pretty sure you can get somebody on this forum to send you a few spectabilis rhizomes because this species is very common, and easy to propagate.

Here's a thread with some pictures showing how it is done.
http://www.bambooweb.info/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4789
jd.
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Re: Need help identifying this bug on my spectabilis?

Post by jd. »

calltc1983 wrote:I have some strange bugs on my Spectabilis and it is dying although I am not sure if the bug is the actual reason it is dying.
It appears to be a sap sucking insect, maybe some kind of whitefly. You can try manually cleaning off each leaf with slightly soapy water.
calltc1983 wrote:I recently left town for a few days and my [girlfriend] moved the plant right above the heater so [it's] had a constant blast of heat right on it.
Dry heat is surely trouble. Higher temperatures increase plant's demand for sufficient light and moisture. Lacking these resources, the plant will dwindle.

The spectabilis needs little warmth to survive the winter and recover in the spring; just keep it cool without freezing the roots. Metabolism and energy requirements diminish at lower temperatures, so the plant can better tolerate weak indoor light until temperatures warm up again. So too, cold temperatures can reduce insect activity until the warmth of spring.

In winter, a cool room or basement with a small south window will suit the aureosulcata 'spectabilis' much better than a heated room that lacks humidity and a sustained source of light as powerful as direct sunlight.

Fortunately, Phyllostachys aureosulcata is a tenacious bamboo that can recover when growing conditions become favorable. It prefers full sun during the growing season. :sunny:
Tarzanus
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Re: Need help identifying this bug on my spectabilis?

Post by Tarzanus »

Looks like mites or spider mites. Warm and dry air makes them thrive.
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