Trouble With Fuschia

Hi,

My first thought was some form of mildew, but a search seems to show similar pictures for Fuchsia Gall Mite, though clearly you have a massive infestation.

 

We had another enquiry about this recently I think or perhaps it was discussed at a local nursery but Fuchsia gall mite is but one of a couple of serious issues affecting Fuchsias now.
Not a simple remedy I think. If it is gall mite the plant needs to be destroyed

 

@shiney hope this letter helps in some way my friend

Date: 28 July 2015 From: Clive
I am devastated that it looks like I will lose two plants to fuchsia gall mite. I have had them for 35 years after my dad died. Is there no way of saving them? I live in Soutampton.
ANSWER: It's really sad to hear that.

In all likelihood you will lose the plants but because they are of such sentimental value they are worth some effort to try and save. Here is what I would do, expecting the worst but hoping for the best.

I assume they are in the ground given their age, I also assume they are hardy fuchsias?

If so, I would cut them down to 2cm above ground level now and burn all the leaves and stems. Dig up the plants and remove all the soil you easily can from the roots. If the roots are too big, trim them to a manageable size. Gently wash the roots and the remaining stem in slightly soapy water by hand.

Replant in a container of the appropriate size (just large enough to take the rootball) using good quality compost. Place the containers in the coolest part of the garden you can find. Low light levels caused by shade are not a problem at this stage. Do not feed the plants until mid March next year and try and keep them on the dry side but still slightly moist.

The plan is to overwinter them at the coolest temperature you can but not below freezing. If they are left out in the freezing weather for a day or so by accident don't give up, just move them to a frost free place. Hardy fuchsias can stand a touch of frost but the problem is that you now have the roots in a container and frost can damage them if prolonged.

The hope is that this winter in Southampton will be slightly cooler than normal and that temperatures below 5°C / 41°F will occur to kill any remaining fuchsia gall mites on your plants.

If at any stage you see leaves emerge keep a very careful watch and remove any which show signs of gall mite infection. Good luck.



LEAVES DISTORTED, FLOWERING FAILS (FUCHSIA GALL MITE)

These are key symptoms of Fuchsia Gall Mite (Aculops fuchsiae). The foliage near the ends of stems is curled and distorted, some of the leaves have a red or pink tinge to them. The flowers are also distorted and fail to develop properly. The damage is first seen in late May and it will continue to increase in severity through to late September until all the leaves and flowers are a distorted mass. The mites themselves are very small, between 0.2mm and 0.25mm long which makes them almost invisible to the naked eye.

Copyright Fredon Bretagne

Fuchsia Gall Mite originally only affected plants near the South coast of England but as of 2016 / 17 it has now spread north as the map below shows.



It seems likely that within the next ten years it will have spread much further north in the United Kingdom. It is spread through air on wind and through insects moving from an infected plant.

When the pest was first found in the UK in 2007 it was classified by the Food and Environmental Research Agency (FERA) as a notifiable pest, even in private gardens. In 2011 this reporting requirement was lifted although it still remains in force for garden centres and similar commercial businesses.

HOW TO TREAT FUCHSIA GALL MITE

There are manual actions you can take to control Fuchsia Gall Mite although unfortunately there are no nematodes which work against them. The following course of action is recommended:

• The mites are extremely easy to transfer from one plant to another on your hands. If you touch an infected plant wash your hands thoroughly (and any knives etc. used) before doing anything else.
• Clear up all fallen debris around the plant including leaves, stems and flowers. Destroy by burning.
• Cut off all infected growth and destroy by burning. If this means that there is very little left of the plant then it is best to dispose of it completely.

INSECTICIDE SPRAYING SCHEDULE
Originally in 2010 the RHS claimed that that there were no sprays that could be used against Fuchsia Gall Mite by amateur gardeners but they then admitted that they may be wrong. Westland Plant Rescue Bug Killer for Ornamental Plants contains two chemicals, abamectin and thiamethoxam, which do appear to offer some hope for gardeners especially when applied in a specific way. Unfortunately this spray was withdrawn from sale in 2013 with no replacement offered.

It is known that this mite prefers cool conditions and there have been experiments which subjected infected plants to high temperatures to see how this affected the mites. Unfortunately they are only sufficiently affected at temperatures which also kill the plants.

Although they prefer cool conditions, there is some evidence that gall mite do not survive temperatures below 5°C / 41°F for long. This is of course only useful information if you have hardy fuchsias and even so, it is by no means proven.

For those affected by Fuchsia Gall Mite the RHS produced a publication in 2014 which contains the most up to date information. It does not make encouraging reading.

https://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/plants/fuchsia/pest-disease.php

 

Comprehensive info Beehappy Worth trying
Its such a shame that cuttings carry the mite too
Touch wood, no mite here but I only grow a couple of hardy varieties plus a couple or so tender ones (that I leave outside anyway).
Cornwall has fuchsias everywhere often making huge shrubs ....it would be devasting if we lost them. We are in a quickly changing horticultural world now....deadly virus on hostas and cannas and new diseases and pests threatening many of our popular plants

 

So it is another mite problem.
I've been battling Red spider mite for years.
Mites are very difficult to eradicate entirely, as stated in @BeeHappy post Abermectin is the stuff that works but it seems almost impossible to get hold of now, did get some on Ebay once, sometimes it is named as Ivermectin.

There are sprays used for livestock that are pretty effective, you need one that stops eggs hatching, I've tried an aerosol used for cleaning rabbit hutches etc.
It seem to be pretty effective on RSM anyway.

You could try Neem oil, some say it works on RSM, I bought a big bottle of the stuff, but it looks pretty gloopy and disgusting stuff, so would only try that out of desperation.

 

So many different mites......for picea mite I totally controlled/prevented this by hosing during hot dry times. Also on peaches in the gh, same success. For a mite on a prostrate juniper I found this worked too.
Neem oil for me is effective on gooseberries against mildew and sawfly. I will be applying neem oil again tomorrow or the weekend
I have come to believe that the best defence we have against pest and disease is to grow plants well, grow plants that are suited to our own conditions and to cut back on fertiliser use to enable them to grow at a more moderate rate.

 

If you need ivermectin it can be bought readily in many pet shop parasite treatments - though might get pretty expensive depending on the quantities needed! Off the top of my head, Xeno drops for rabbits/birds are ivermectin based, and I'm sure there are others as well. Ivermectin isn't a prescription-only medication so you should be able to buy it pretty freely. Be VERY careful using it around animals though - collies in particular are very sensitive to it and can seizures even at a dosage that would be considered normal for other dogs.

 

Aaaawww @shiney and Mrs. Shiney

 

Treat yourself to something special there Shiney

 

Phantom appeals to me too Shiney.......My Limelight is lovely so another PG would be good here.
Not a lot of difference between the varieties is there whilst the flowers are white in summer. Think the difference is in how they fade!!??