Silk-Tree

A reader says:

My Silk tree is being attacked by glassy-winged sharpshooters. What Should I be doing?

Answer:

If left alone it will eventually kill the tree. Glassy-winged sharpshooters usually lay a mass of eggs on the underside of leaves, cover them with powdery white protective secretions called “brochosomes.” After the nymphs hatch, the remaining egg mass leaves a brown mark on the leaf’s surface. The nymphs feed within the vascular system of the small stems on the plant where the eggs were deposited. After several molts, the nymphs become adult glassy-winged sharpshooters, and the process starts over again.

The glassy-winged sharpshooter feeds on a wide variety of host plants and includes over 70 different plant species. Because of a large number of hosts, glassy-winged sharpshooter populations can flourish in many areas. They feed on a plant by inserting their needle-like mouthparts into the plant’s xylem. While feeding, sharpshooters squirt small droplets of waste from the anus often called “leafhopper rain.” These droplets are messy and, when the water evaporates, leave a residue that gives plants and fruit a whitewashed appearance.

The way they feed makes glassy-winged sharpshooters an efficient vector for the Xylella fastidiosa bacterium. Once they feed on an infected plant, X. fastidiosa colonizes the sharpshooter by forming a biofilm on its mouth-parts. The sharpshooter then transmits the disease to additional plants while feeding. A plant that is not affected by any of the diseases caused by X. fastidiosa becomes a reservoir, holding the bacterium for other sharpshooters to pick up and carry to other plants. X. fastidiosa is linked to many plant diseases.

Many successful efforts are using integrated pest management (IPM) of the glassy-winged sharpshooter which include the use of insecticides, parasitoids (especially wasps in the family Mymaridae), and the impact of naturally occurring pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and fungi. One of the newly discovered pathogens is a virus specific to sharpshooters. The leafhopper-infecting virus, Homalodisca coagulata virus-1 (HoCV-1, Dicistroviridae), has been shown to increase leafhopper mortality. The virus occurs in nature and is spread most readily at high population densities through contact among infected individuals, contact with virus-contaminated surfaces, and as an aerosol in leafhopper excreta.

Please note that I do things differently and that my approach is based upon why the leafhopper is attracted to the tree(s) in the first place. So what I do is first to reactivate the tree’s root systems. I do this thru applications of various types of natural bacteria and Mycelium that should be present along with the proper minerals. This takes time to reestablish a functioning root system so during that time I am also applying thru foliar methods all the minerals,  etc., the tree needs to get stronger. Once the tree reaches a certain Brix level, the pests will not attack it.

Why is this?

Brix reads sugar levels in the plant, but it also reads the mineral levels which also tells me what carbohydrates the plant has. Let me explain.

I like to tell folks “if the plant is food for insects then it is not food for us.” This is important for anything we eat, but it also relates to things we don’t eat such as the Silk Tree. When a pest sees that an individual plant has become a food source for it and it’s children, it knows that the plant will have the right type of carbohydrates and that is simple carbohydrates instead of complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs are the primary food source for most insects while complex carbs are not digestible by these insect pests.

Kool huh?

Chemical fertilizers do not have all the trace minerals needed by plants for healthy disease and pest free growth. When your plant – say the Silk Tree – is being attacked, it should tell you that the plant has a trace mineral deficiency.

Unless you are a chemist and also understands soil biology, I would not attempt to add trace minerals directly. This will cause significant damage to the ground and the plants. Therefore it is always best to add trace minerals in a form that is found naturally in nature. This is rock dust. Not all rock dust are equal in their trace mineral content, so it is wise to get a blend of rock dust. Now, what do you think will happen if you just were only to apply rock dust to the soil? Unless you already have a live soil with Mycelium, it will do nothing to the plants and instead will become toxic and cause more stress which will only cause more insects and diseases!

Also, it takes time to bring the soil back to life so that foliar sprayings will be necessary. Foliar sprays are just that – spraying the leaves with nutrients and bacteria. Typically a particular type of bacteria is found on the leaves of plants which helps in absorbing nutrients directly from the air. Foliar sp[rayings contributes to bringing these bacteria back as well as to bypass the soil and provide nutrients directly into the plant’s system and encourages the plant to get healthier.

The long term solution is to apply rock dust, compost and then an acid mulch. The short term solutions are many. First, we have to feed the plant and help it to reduce stress (play some good music), then we have to control what is attacking it by either directly killing off the pests or by confusing the pests to stay away.

Here are a few things one can spray the silk tree to kill off glassy-winged sharpshooters:

Garlic will kill them on contact. Get Garlic Barrier and follow instructions.

Coffee will also kill them. Use cold brewed coffee. One 8 oz concentration added to 3 gallons water will work. Also, add nutrients to the mix top raise the Briz levels. Try Superseaweed or Organic Magic. My new book  (Dont Panic Its Organic) is out and available at your local bookstore or thru me.

Thanks for reading my column!

Andy Lopez

Invisible Gardener

Any questions? Email me andylopez@invisiblegardener.com