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What Is Causing My Plant To Drip Sap?

Ask the Plant Expert:

I am finding odd brown colored fluid dripping on the sides of my outdoor potted plant. What is causing it, and how can I get rid of it? I can’t see anywhere on the leaves where it could be coming from. Thank you. – Lisa

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

It looks like you might have damage from borers. Did you happen to see any ants climbing up the trees? Ants aren’t a problem, but they often indicate that borers are in your tree. Borers are a problem. Borers are a larvea, usually placed by a type of beetle into the trunk of trees and plants. The borers cause damage from the inside out, often creating a hole in which the sap of the tree is released. What kind of plant/tree is it?

Your local garden center nursery will have the right chemical to kill the borers.

Fabian Aralia Insect Problems

Ask the Expert: Will my Fabian Aralia die? It has bright green marks on the bark and under the spots the bark just peels away is it at the point of no return or can I fix it?

Lauren,

Plant Expert Reply: You Fabian Aralia may have mealy bug or scale damage. If you see anything similar to these insects  mealy bug or wax scale then you can use a pyrethrin-based insecticide. If the damage is not too extensive then the plant should recover.

Wax Scale (photo from Wikipedia) Pink Hibiscus Mealybug (photo from Wikipedia)

Stem borers can also infect Aralia. It is actually the larvae of the stem borer that causes the problem. By the time you see the damage from a stem borer it may be too late to save the plant. However if your plant is still putting on new growth, you may have a chance to save it. Use a permethrin based insecticide on it.

Your local garden center should have these insecticides. Be sure to ask for a houseplant strength insecticide.

Jamie