Fiddle Leaf Fern Failure

I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer, but today’s post is about a big, fat whomp, whomp.

 

Just a few weeks ago, I bragged about my new fiddle leaf fern and how I loved it and how it added some color in the great room, and how it softened the space, and on and on.

 

Well, here she is today.  I know…… Fern failure…..Not only did I bring home a fern, but I also brought home a fern full of mealybugs.  About a week after she arrived, big brown spots and holes started appearing on the leaves.  At first I thought maybe she just didn’t like the new surroundings, and she was adjusting.  Afterall, sometimes ficus trees lose all of their leaves when they are moved.  After another week, I started looking a little closer and spotted some little furry white dots.  I did some research and identified them as mealybugs.

 

I mixed a detergent and water solution and washed every. single. inch. of every. single. leaf.  A week later, it was worse.  At this point I called the locally-owned nursery whom I bought it from, and they said clean the leaves with an insecticide oil.  That didn’t work either.  (And as an aside, I might add that I have never had any problems with plants I have purchased in the past from big box stores, but this time I bought it from a local company, and it is now bug city).

 

So, as a last resort I took it to our courtyard this morning and hosed it down with water.  Then I took an aggressive step and sprinkled it with Sevin.  That’s the white powder you see on the leaves in the photos.  Tonight the temperatures are supposed to drop to 27 degrees.  If I leave it outside, it will die for sure.  However, I don’t want to bring it back in and continue to expose my healthy plants to the possibility of bugs.  So, what’s a girl to do?  I still have a few hours before the temp plummets.  I’ll decide by then if she stays or if she goes.

Take care.