Magnolia tree - Ask Extension
I have a 20 foot magnolia tree that is letting off sap and is having white spots on the branches. How do I treat it? Can I save my tree?
Knowledgebase
Magnolia tree #651041
Asked June 15, 2020, 8:28 AM EDT
I have a 20 foot magnolia tree that is letting off sap and is having white spots on the branches. How do I treat it? Can I save my tree?
Jackson County Missouri
Expert Response
I may be due to scale insects. Can you send a picture?
These are pictures of my magnolia tree.
It is the scale insect. Soft scales can cause a decline in growth, but usually not enough to kill the tree. The main problem is they produce large amounts of honeydew (sticky substance) that can cover leaves and act food for black, sooty mold. Honeydew also attracts ants, flies, wasps and bees, which can become a nuisance.
Scales spend most of their lives underneath a covering feeding on the same spot of the plant. Eggs hatch underneath the scale into "crawlers." At this stage, they are mobile and have legs. New plants can be infested as crawlers move around or are blown by the wind to other plants. As scale mature, they find a permanent feeding site and develop a smooth or cottony cover but they are firmly attached to the plant under the scale. Mature scales never move once they firmly attach themselves to the plant.
Horticultural oils, often called summer oils, applied after the crawlers have emerged in late August can be very effective in reducing the scale population. Good coverage with the product is important. Oils can also be applied in fall before freezing weather and again in early spring before the flower buds swell to kill the overwintering nymphs located on the stems.
A systemic insecticide can also we used in mid-August for control.
Scales spend most of their lives underneath a covering feeding on the same spot of the plant. Eggs hatch underneath the scale into "crawlers." At this stage, they are mobile and have legs. New plants can be infested as crawlers move around or are blown by the wind to other plants. As scale mature, they find a permanent feeding site and develop a smooth or cottony cover but they are firmly attached to the plant under the scale. Mature scales never move once they firmly attach themselves to the plant.
Horticultural oils, often called summer oils, applied after the crawlers have emerged in late August can be very effective in reducing the scale population. Good coverage with the product is important. Oils can also be applied in fall before freezing weather and again in early spring before the flower buds swell to kill the overwintering nymphs located on the stems.
A systemic insecticide can also we used in mid-August for control.
What can I do know now that it is June to stop the spread or eliminate the scale. I have a pear tree, tri-color beech tree, blueberries and blackberries in close to the Magnolia.
The adult stage will not spread. It is the crawlers that hatch in August that will move about to other plants. If you want to control the adults, you can prune out heavily infested branches or the scale can be dislodged by hand by rubbing or brushing the scales off. Be firm but gentle to keep from damaging the plants. Once scales are dislodged, they will not re-attach themselves.