Thick , leathery leaves up to 10 inch foresightful are ovate , with varigated coloring along nervure . Leaves begin immature and yellow , and turn to red and black with historic period . Exposure to brilliant light intensifies colors .
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Characteristics
Requirements
Plant Care
Fertilizing
Light
Watering
Planting
Problems
Prevention and Control : Keep weeds down and hit infested plants . juiceless air seems to aggravate the job , so verify plants are regularly watered , especially those preferring high humidness such as tropicals , citrus , or tomatoes . Always check new plant prior to bringing them home from the garden center or nursery . Take advantage of raw enemy such as ladybug larvae . If a miticide is recommended by your local garden center professional or county Cooperative Extension bureau , read and follow all label directions . Concentrate your efforts on the undersides of the leave as that is where spider mites generally live . Pest : MealybugsSmall , wingless , tedious - white , soft - bodied insects that produce a waxy powdery covering . They have piercing / suck up mouth parts that suck the sap out of plant tissue paper . Mealybugsoften look like small piece of cotton and they be given to congregate where leaves and stem branch . They attack a wide reach of plants . The young tend to move around until they find a desirable eating spot , then they hang out in colonies and feed . Mealybugs can weaken a plant life lead to yellow foliage and leafage fall . They also produce a mellifluous substance call off honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can run to an unattractive bleak surface fungal growth called sooty mold .
Prevention and Control : Isolate infested plants from those that are not . Consult your local garden center professional or the Cooperative Extension berth in your county for a sound insecticide / chemical recommendation . further natural foe such as lady beetle in the garden to help melt off population degree of mealy bugs . plague : CaterpillarsCaterpillars are the immature shape of moths and butterfly . They are voracious self-feeder attack a wide potpourri of plants . They can be extremely destructive and are characterized as folio confluent , stem borers , leaf roller , cutworms and tent - former .
Prevention and Control : keep weeds down , sentinel item-by-item plants and remove Caterpillar , utilize labeled insect powder such as soaps and oils , take advantage of natural foe such as parasitic WASP in the garden and use Bacillus thuringiensis ( biological war ) for some caterpillar metal money . Pest : Scale InsectsScales are insects , related to mealy bugs , that can be a trouble on a full variety of plant - indoor and outdoor . unseasoned scales creeping until they find a proficient feeding situation . The grownup female then lose their legs and remain on a spot protect by its hard shell level . They appear as bumps , often on the low sides of leaves . They have pierce mouth parts that fellate the sap out of plant tissue . Scales can weaken a plant life take to yellow foliage and leaf drop . They also produce a sweet substance cry honeydew ( covet by ants ) which can conduce to an untempting blackened airfoil fungal maturation promise jet-black cast .
Prevention and Control : Once establish they are hard to command . Isolate infest plant away from those that are not infested . Consult your local garden center professional or Cooperative Extension office in your county for a legal recommendation regarding their control condition . promote innate enemies such as bloodsucking wasps in the garden .
