What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

I started a thread a while back because my Siam Ruby had spider mites....well i tried and tried to get rid of them and never succeeded. It is down to one leaf now and looking real bad. I was thinking about chopping it down and bare rooting it and storing it in my basement. I know its drastic but I dont know what to do....

Any advice????

Thanks, Nate

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

put it outside and spray it hard with the garden hose. Your weather in Ohio should take care of the little buggers. It won't kill them all, but it'll damage the herd. try not to let the leaf/leaves freeze.

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Its 40*F out right now its been between 14* and 17* the last two nights the last leaf is looking bad too and the plant is starting to lean....Its on its last leg im not sure if just sitting it outside will help.

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

I have had very good success with the method Sandy recommended to me:

Spray bottle with the following contents: water, small amount of suave coconut shampoo, small amount of vegetable oil.

Use this to really douse the plant on all surfaces. Make sure you hit the top AND bottoms of ALL leaves and get into all the little spaces where they could hide. Repeat this in 4-5 days and possibly a third time (and later as needed if they come back). It smells pretty nice and makes the leaves glossy...pretty good fix...and the ingredients are non-toxic, cheap and easy to come by. It might also be beneficial to take a wet paper towel and remove any webs from the leaves (especially checking the undersides) before application of the spray.

Give that a try....you've got nothing to lose! It worked wonders for me.

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

It can handle the 40 for a bit.

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Bryan's right. I use Dawn or any dishsoap -about 1 Tbls to 1/2 -3/4 cup HOT tap water. Works every time.

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Ive been trying that for weeks and it hasnt gotten any better its just been getting worse. Its to the point now where its almost dead im just trying to save the plant so i can put it outside in the spring.


Here is a pic of the poor guy....

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

You know you have mites, but did you give that plant a high dose of fert........
Its kinda tricky in the winter, every time I fert. I get some burn marks like that..... ok here's what I would do... Repot, while repoting check for root rot ( cutt rot off)...cut main plant down to 8" leave pup alone..........do not water atleast a week after potting, let dry out... get a stick push in the ground let it in to see if soil is dry.....(stick trick) I barely water my saim ruby in the winter and the cure for spidermites (there is no cure!!!) 1 bucket of water a 1 sponge and a little dish soap, wipe the leaves off........... from one in your area..... now in my basement I have not seen a real problem with mites..... Anywhere I get dust in the house (furnace) you will find these little guys......

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Hey thanks for the advice and GO BUCKS...Its nice to see other Buckeyes on here....I havent given it any fertilizer at all because i got it in late fall and the guy i got it off of told me not to fertilize it in the winter and not to water at all because he watered it good before i got it. He also said the soil wasnt very good soil and he was afraid it would rot. I think i am gonna chop it down but what would be the benefits of repotting it. Im hoping i can save it, the pup just put out a new leaf so i still have hope.

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Off topic but GO BUCKS. Another transplanted Buckeye here.

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Definitely cut off all those dead/dried leaves....they are only places for the little bastards to hide!!

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

lets' ya check out the root mass / or rott..& scratch off
Fresh potting mix will fix if you have a soil problem..
Correct the pot size of plant. nanners that live in the cold like smaller pots, well I don't know if they like it, but your chances of success will be increased.........
Gardening calms the nerves esp. if you got three yelling kids & a wife?????? :goteam:
My biggest problem is watering, teaching myself to stay away from them....

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Your pot size looks ok. Is the plant wet? When spraying it, you could put the pot in a trash bag to keep the water from dripping down into it. Also if your plant is too dry it could dry up the leaves like that, and parts of the stem will dry up too. It will look just like you overwatered it. But you know if it's been watered too much or too little.
the pup looks like it would definitely make it. it has a real good leaf coming up out of the center. The main stalk might be deciding to die off and send the energy to the pup. I'd continue spraying it for mites every 5-10 days if you see them on the new leaves. Another thing that would really help your siam is to set the pot on a heat mat. Cut off all the dead leaves first thing and it'll make it easier to spray too.

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

OK I decided to chop it down about a week ago....Here are the pics from today. You can see the new growth already. The P-stem is starting to look darker though im afraid it is starting to rot. How can i stop this??? The pup is still looking good though..

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Since you don't have a green house that stays in the 80's you are really gonna have to watch your watering, if you still have mites try the sponge... spraying just makes for rot...... Take a look at some of my pot sizes......

[IMG]

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Ive only watered it once and that was when i chopped it down. So its only been watered once since i got it. I think i have the mites under control now the leaf on the pup hasnt been getting any worse so im hoping it will pull through till spring...If that leaf goes im gonna bare root it and try to put it down in the basement till spring. Do you think that will work???? How are your plants in your basement doing???

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

I would still repot if it was mine to check for roots, you have nothing to lose at this point...... cavendish don't do well bare rooted. I have one left bare rooted but it is a monster.... the rest I repotted... But my basement stays to warm around 67 to 70 degrees not good for cold storage..... Yours wouldn't have a chance for the size of plant..... Get some good potting soil, find a smaller pot, & give that a try..... My basement is going great, just cut some bassjoo pups & repotted.... nothing like taking pups off of plants in the middle of winter in zone 6.............................

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

I would just leave it alone for a while and set it on a heat mat or keep it in a warm place so that the roots stay warm. It's too small to bare root it and put it into the basement. And besides it's acting up anyway, so why provoke it further? Barerooting is hard on a healthy plant and yours isn't quite there yet.
Stick your finger into the soil close to the roots of the plant. Is it moist or dry? if it's dry down in there, water it sparingly. Pour warm water with very diluted fertilizer, like 1/8 of what it says on the package instructions.Apply the water right to the root ball area, not around all over in the pot like a normal watering. A plant like that size that was really dry, I'd give it about 2 cups. Then let it go for a while, until you feel it's dry again. Watch for any mites on the new leaves as they develop. That stub of the mother plant will most likely rot and dry out. It's natural and it won't hurt your pup. It's just drawing the moisture and energy out of the stub to grow on. It shrivels up as it dehydrates and it's used up.

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

Here is how its looking today. It is doing great now. Thanks to everybody who helped me out it will definitely make it!!! I thought it was good as dead...lol

Re: What should I do about my Siam Ruby??
 

The pup is bigger than the mom now but at least the mother p-stem is still growing no signs of spider mites either.