By an edhat reader
I planted Eugenia bushes to form a hedge last summer. They’ve been growing well but I’m noticing the majority have bumps and curls on their leaves.
Is there something I should be doing to prevent this or is it normal?
Bumps on Eugenia Plants?
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It’s mainly a cosmetic problem. Our bamboo is getting sticky and black(ish) leaves right now from some type of psyllid. We just wait it out. Here’s a link that might help you a bit: https://plantdoctor.co.nz/problem-finder/eugenia-psyllids/#:~:text=Eugenia%20Psyllids%20are%20sapsuckers%20that,which%20black%20Sooty%20Mold%20grows.
Not worth treating it. We tore out 75′ of it and put it a new hedge.
Sadly, Eugenia hedges were quite popular until a massive psylid infestation became endemic. These plants are prone to them with no effective treatment or prevention. Most have been torn out and replaced with a more resistant species. Ficus hedges are nice looking and resist psylids. I’d consider a native drought tolerant alternative.
YOUR PLANTS WILL BE FINE. We deal with the same thing- It’s not that difficult. About 25 years ago, our hedge was almost dead. So I took a specimen over to the County to ask what the problem was. The pest is called a eugenia psyllid. While they eat the Eugenia leaves, forming the bumps, they excrete a honeydew substance that ants like. Their natural predator is a type of wasp. Ants help the Eugenia psyllid by killing the wasps (I think this is what I heard) and and the psyllid provides delicious honeydew for the ants – a symbiotic relationship. How to treat: use a jet attachment on your garden hose (buying a valve helps conserve water while you are out there blasting the plants) . During bad infestation (black honeydew on leaves and die off) blast the heck out of your bushes with the jet on your hose – both sides of the hedge. Every week for a while, then every couple weeks. During dry conditions, make sure to generously deep water these plants every two weeks to keep them strong & resilient. Blasting helps give them water too! Our plants hardly ever need blasting anymore. Good luck
The only thing that worked for me was as follows: trim the outer leaves substantially thereby thinning the bushes completely. Then spray the trimmed Eugenia with Neem Oil or another psylid treatment. Make sure you dispose of the tree cuttings in a way that avoids contact with the newly trimmed Eugenias.
I use neem oil spray on my plants when that happens. works really well. I also put it on the soil so it can affect the roots. works like magic