Handroanthus (Trumpet Tree): How to Care for Brazil's Symbol Tree

Aphids are small, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects (1/16 to 1/8 inch long) that feed by sucking nutrient-rich sap from plants. They reproduce rapidly and can quickly weaken plants, causing distorted growth and transmitting plant viruses. Aphids come in various colors including green, black, red, yellow, brown, and gray. They secrete honeydew, a sticky substance that attracts ants and encourages sooty mold growth.

Damping off is a soil-borne fungal disease that affects seeds and young seedlings, causing rotting of stem and root tissues at and below the soil line. It is caused by several fungi including Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, and Phytophthora. The disease thrives in cold, wet conditions with poor air circulation.

Pestalotiopsis is a group of fungi (now often placed in Neopestalotiopsis and related genera) that causes leaf spots and tip blight, especially on plants that are stressed or kept too wet. It shows up most after cool, rainy weather or in crowded plantings with poor airflow. Look for tan to dark-brown spots that may have a yellow edge, or shoot tips that brown and die back from the tip inward. Tiny black pinhead-like dots often appear in the dead tissue—these are the fungus’s spore-producing bodies. It commonly affects arborvitae, juniper, cypress, yew, boxwood, many palms (including indoor palms), and can also occur on strawberry leaves and fruit.

Fusarium wilt is a serious fungal disease caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The fungus invades roots and blocks the water-conducting vessels (xylem) of the plant, causing progressive wilting and eventual death. Host-specific forms of the pathogen exist that attack different plant species.