Bald Cypress Root Aphids

[markyscott]

Repotting my bald cypress today I saw this:



White, fuzzy deposits all through the roots. On quick inspection, it is not dissimilar to the symbiotic mycorrhizal fungus seed in healthy black pine. But this is not black pine - it is bald cypress and this is not a mycorrhizal fungus, it is aphids.

- Scott

 

[markyscott]

Under a microscope, this is what you’ll see (or at least, what @BillsBayou saw when he looked through a microscope at it).

 

[markyscott]

Generally I’ve been able to tell - the tree looks anemic. It doesn’t grow well. I often suspect a nutrient deficiency. But last growing season there was no problem - it seemed to grow extremely strong. Perhaps the infestation happened late in the growing season, or perhaps I just didn’t notice. But, at any rate, I noticed now. My solution to this problem is to proceed with the repot, bare-rooting the tree. I wash the roots thoroughly and then I let it soak in a 5% hydrogen peroxide solution for 1 hour. It always has seemed to take care of the problem In the past. Hopefully it does this time.

- S

 

[markyscott]

Back in the pot - this one has a pretty nice, natural weeping habit. I’ve always liked it.

 

[bwaynef]

Is that a 20:1 mixture of water & 3% h2o2? Or 5% h2o2?

 

[markyscott]

Is that a 20:1 mixture of water & 3% h2o2? Or 5% h2o2?

20:1 mixture of 3% h202

 

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Can those root aphids breath underwater?

Edit I googled it.

Root aphids spend most of their life cycle in mineral soil, but they can't tolerate aquatic or semiaquatic plant material like peat moss. However, some marine saltmarshes and intertidal zones have aphids that use wax to construct niches and survive submersion.

 

[namnhi]

Hi Scott,
Am curious would putting the pot in a bucket of water for a week will kill the pests? BC shouldn't have any problem with that.

 

[markyscott]

Hi Scott,
Am curious would putting the pot in a bucket of water for a week will kill the pests? BC shouldn't have any problem with that.

I’ve never tried it. Perhaps.

- Scott

 

[Maiden69]

Hi Scott,
Am curious would putting the pot in a bucket of water for a week will kill the pests? BC shouldn't have any problem with that.

I’ve never tried it. Perhaps.

- Scott

It may, but... I wouldn't recommend keeping it there any longer. While I grow BC's in water year round, the growth in water is coarse and strong, not what you want when your BC is in a refinement stage. Also, not what you want in an akadama based soil. The peroxide treatment sounds like the right solution to this problem.

 

[johng]

Hi Scott,
Am curious would putting the pot in a bucket of water for a week will kill the pests? BC shouldn't have any problem with that.

absolutely not. They will persist through flooding...even months at a time. Physical removal seems to knock them back for a while but they always return by the end of the season in my garden. Even soaking in a malathion bath is only a temporary solution. I've seen others have success with systemics like imidacloprid but they have even been resistant to that in my garden.