Light Setup? Fungus Gnats?

[nat724]

Hey Guys,

Looks like my tree has not been doing too well lately. A couple weeks ago I thought the leaves looked a little shriveled and it's gradually been getting worse. Below is how it looks now. I've also begun to notice there's a lot of what I thought was fruit flies flying around my room since then. I did a little googling and I'm thinking they might be fungus gnats. If so, what can I do to kill them? Should I do the potato trick to see if that's what they are? Is there an insecticide I can use?

A couple things to note. It's a bit colder in this room than my last room. I figured the temperature change would just make the leaves drop again though, not shrivel up like this over weeks. Not sure if I'm right about that.

I also setup the below lighting setup since my bedroom window is too small to get any serious light. THe lights are 60 watts and about 6 inches from the top of the tree. The leaves started shriveling before that, so I don't think it's too hot, but does anyone have any thoughts on this setup?

Thanks in advance!

[iamurthman]

The fungus gnats and the leaf problem are signs of root problems. These trees develop root rot if over watered, prefering to stay evenly moist, but not wet. In cooler temps they will use even less water. Usually the first response to wilting leaves is to give more water, but if the cause is in the roots then more water only increases the problem. Let it get a bit drier between waterings and it may perk up. It wouldn't hurt to have a look at the roots and see how they are. If the tree is pot-bound the roots will have a hard time keeping up with the demand for water up top and the leaves will wilt.

[nat724]

Thanks for the heads up. I think you're right, I've probably been overwatering...I'll try to take a look at the roots sooon. Do you think it's ok to go ahead and repot now since I"ll have to take it out of the pot anyways?

[iamurthman]

You should be able to slip the pot off for a look see. It's not the best time to re-pot it, but if you see black gooey stuff where the roots should be you need to take care of it right away.

[JesRdKing]

If I remember correctly you have recently moved right? We were talking about this tree before unless I have you confused with someone else that also just got a raintree. If they are regular lights (60watts) the old fashion ones that aren't energy saving they can get pretty warm if left on for awhile. I would use the energy saving new swirly bulbs that places like wal-mart sell they are actually 13 watts that are equivalent to a 60 watt bulb. GE energy smart is on the container. They are a fluorescent bulb that don't get real hot when left on. I have a pretty big humidity tray under mine and I think that attracts the gnats some too. This yr I have been lucky I haven't seen many and at the same time I have cut back on watering it. Mine is on around a 3 to 4 day schedule but I also repotted it in the spring to so my soil is draining pretty fast. Any kind of movement or temp change to quick can make a tree do some funny things. First thing I would do is change the bulbs if you are using the old fashion screw in ones and also watch the watering. If you just moved to a new area could be shock also with moving the tree.

[JesRdKing]

Also how long do you leave the lights on for? I have a timer on for 16 hrs. I use a 4' shop light with fluorascent bulbs in. Your setup looks good just like it is as long as you don't have a ton of heat coming off of the lights. If you have alot of heat either get the tree a little farther away from the source or invest in the other bulbs. You have some nice growth there too. Mine will hang down some to first thing in the morning till it perks up and I night the leaves close so they will droop some then too. Do you mist your tree any?

[nat724]

JesRdKing wrote:

If I remember correctly you have recently moved right? We were talking about this tree before unless I have you confused with someone else that also just got a raintree. If they are regular lights (60watts) the old fashion ones that aren't energy saving they can get pretty warm if left on for awhile. I would use the energy saving new swirly bulbs that places like wal-mart sell they are actually 13 watts that are equivalent to a 60 watt bulb. GE energy smart is on the container. They are a fluorescent bulb that don't get real hot when left on. I have a pretty big humidity tray under mine and I think that attracts the gnats some too. This yr I have been lucky I haven't seen many and at the same time I have cut back on watering it. Mine is on around a 3 to 4 day schedule but I also repotted it in the spring to so my soil is draining pretty fast. Any kind of movement or temp change to quick can make a tree do some funny things. First thing I would do is change the bulbs if you are using the old fashion screw in ones and also watch the watering. If you just moved to a new area could be shock also with moving the tree.

Hey Jes,

Yeah, it's the same tree. You sent me an article that you scanned about it. Thanks again, btw. I think I see some new growth onthe top of the tree, but I'm not sure if it was already there or not. I repotted it and am waiting a few days to water until all I stop seeing bugs flying around.I'll give the new bulbs a shot too. Thanks!

[nat724]

JesRdKing wrote:

Also how long do you leave the lights on for? I have a timer on for 16 hrs. I use a 4' shop light with fluorascent bulbs in. Your setup looks good just like it is as long as you don't have a ton of heat coming off of the lights. If you have alot of heat either get the tree a little farther away from the source or invest in the other bulbs. You have some nice growth there too. Mine will hang down some to first thing in the morning till it perks up and I night the leaves close so they will droop some then too. Do you mist your tree any?

I leave the lights on fromw hen I wake up at 6am until about 10pm when I go to bed, so that's usually about 16 hours. I was misting my tree once a day before it started withering. Is this too much?

[JesRdKing]

This yr I been misting my tree 2 times a day once in the morning and once in the evening. My tree hasn't shown any signs that it wasn't liking it. I really think what was happening is that the bulbs was to hot on the leaves is my opinion. Also I would let the water sit for awhile so it becomes room tempature, the misting water and the water used when watering the tree. Just ease off some on the watering too. To moist soil will attract the gnats. Some are ok just don't want a major infestation. No fertilizer either for at least 3 to 4 weeks now with repotting the tree. With misting I been trying to allow the lights on for around 1/2 hr before misting which allows some time for the leaves to open up some and misting from a distance so there isn't a ton of force either on the leaves. A timer at wal-mart is around $10 and is a good investment, my old one burnt up a month ago so I went around 10 days to I got another one and believe me I missed not having the timer.

[mikey012076]

Raid ® House & Garden Bug Killer look at wal-mart.
Its formula will not harm your house or garden plants.
I use this all the time on all my bonsai to kill all types of bugs with no problems, will kill mold flys or just about any bug you have.

http://www.killsbugsdead.com/fop_hg_bk.asp

Mike.....:O)