Okay, so, I’ve been having some issues with my bougainvilleas lately. They’re usually so vibrant and full of color, but some of them have been looking kinda sad. So, I decided to do some digging and figure out what was going on. I am going to take pictures to keep track of the problems.
Identifying the Pests
First, I grabbed my phone and headed out to the garden. I started by inspecting the leaves really closely. Here’s what I found:
- Tiny webs: On some plants, I noticed these super fine webs, almost like spider webs, but smaller. These turned out to be spider mites. After snapping pictures of the leaves, I could see little dots moving around.
- Chewed leaves: Some of the leaves had these ragged edges, like something had been munching on them. I looked under it and find some bougainvillea loopers. they’re pretty tiny! I made sure take picture to those bastards.
- Sticky stuff: I felt this sticky residue on some of the leaves and stems. So I took several picture of it. Turns out, that’s a sign of aphids or scale. I took the picture and zoom in, yup, those tiny bumps are the problems.
Figuring Out the Diseases
Pests weren’t the only problem. Some of my bougainvilleas showed signs of diseases too. Here’s what I observed:
- Leaf Spots: The leaves have brown spots, took pictures and research online, most of them are fungal infection.
- Root Rots: One of my bougainvillea looks really bad, the whole plant looks weak. I carefully dig and check the roots. Turned out to be root rot.
Dealing with the Problems
After I figured out what was going on, I started working on fixing the issues. Here’s what I did:.
- I sprayed some insecticidal soap.
- For root rot, I cut off some of the root and add soil.
Now, my bougainvilleas looking good, and I’ll keep checking the leaves and taking pictures regularly to catch any problems early!
