There are visual symptoms that I associate with a FMV infection vs an active fig bud mite infestation. I don’t have good pictures of the symptoms on the smallest new leaves because I just knocked down an infestation and those leaves have fallen off or grown up. When fig bud mites are really bad the new leaves are stunted and discolored a reddish brown. In the pics that follow there are a few of those affected leaves that have expanded to small stunted status.
First symptoms I associate with recent fig bud mite activity. It shows as speckling or circular dots;
Hi Steve, Have several plants starting to have those symptoms. But the plants around them look fine. All rooted in January. Do you think this is FBM or just FMV? They are well fed which I plan to cut back on along with watering since figs are starting to swell.
I’m also wondering if you’ve ever used this sulphur product below and how you might recommend I apply it?
Dust or mix with h20?
Apply at Night?
Rinse off in am or leave?
The weather here is about 100° and intense sun. Is this ok on soft figs? Or is there a better product for FBM you recommend?
There might be some evidence of FBM, the small spots. And probably FMV also.
The only time I sprayed wettable sulfur it badly burnt the leaves. I’ve never injured anything spraying horticultural oil at 2% emulsion in water. I’m spraying it now every two weeks in my greenhouse. When I’ve had FBM two sprays cleared them up. The new leaves went from stunted and spotted to perfect in a few weeks.
Spraying sulfur and then washing it off the next morning sounds a bit silly to me. But maybe that’s where I went wrong using it. It’s been at least three months since the sulfur damage and those plants still look awful.
Ok cool thanks so much as always. Any preference do you have about when to apply the hort oil? I haven’t used the sulphur either and am very cautious of burning the plants and trees. I did use hort oil once in spring and my fruiting trees were fine but my blackberries and some bonsai trees looked like a flamethrower hit them.
I’ve applied the hort oil any time of day without damage. But that’s in my greenhouse. So somewhat protected. Spraying late in the day should offer some level of safety.
There are safer miticides for your plants, but you might not want to eat the fruit or spray the material.
