I have 4 Syzygium Elegance in pots and the Psyllids are into them. It does not worry me too much (as I understand they will not kill the plant) but would like to get rid of them anyway.

Thanks
Scott

I used Confidor, but I'm sure that there are homegrown remedies out there. Don Burke recommends simply avoiding those varieties which are prone to psyllid attack - he cites Syzygium paniculatum cultivars as being the most prone, but I have also seen claims that Syzygium Australe variants (of which there are about 10,000, by my count :)) also suffer from periodic attack, and I believe that your Elegance are from this line. I havent had much luck with my Elegance plantings - no pests, but the Rocky sun has absolutely hammered them. Perhaps keeping them in pots, where I can move them around, is the way to go.

Good luck,

Artie

Keep you posted.

(I really hate psyllids and have to remove all affected leaves)

A local nursery advised me to use Confidor in the short term, and a systemic granular chemical (placed in the earth under the tree) for long term control. I did that but only used the granules once and only on my S. moorei. They apparently take a few months to kick in as the plant takes them up. I haven't used them again, mainly because when I read the details, they seemed to be extremely poisonous and bad for the environment; but also because they are expensive; and the psillids came back later anyway.

I have also used pyrethrum to kill the psillids on my S. moorei (when it was 1.5m high; it's now 3m high). I took out another lilly pilly tree because it was totally infested with the things, as was a "Bush Christmas" so it got the chop. The S. moorei has been less affected since (proximity to the other tree I believe being the reason). The only other lilly pillies I have are S. wilsonii and Acmena smithii in a couple of forms, which are unaffected.

The S. moorei has escaped totally so far this season, but I'm keeping a watch for the psillids, and I'll go back to using the pyrethrum even if I do have to use a ladder.

Another recommendation was to remove all affected foliage and put it in the bin. I've done that too.

Cheers,
Frank

Good luck Don

Could you post a photo of your S. "Cascade" so I can see what they really look like in the garden?

Artie, I've also heard that S. oleosum is more resistant to the psyllids. Is it completely free of them or what proportion of the plant would be affected?

Thanks,
Frank

When my neighbour finally removes the hideous grass on the other side of my fence, I'll be able to post a decent photo of my Cascades. Like Richard's plants, mine are still under a metre but growing very fast.

As for Oleosum, I've seen the 'psyllid-free' tag on many pages, but I have to wonder how many people simply repeat what they have read elsewhere. I have only one or two Oleosum, and my only psyllid problem has been with my Waterhousea Floribunda. I suspect that psyllids dont like my front garden (where the majority of my LP live) : they seem to have gone in search of easier prey.

Thanks for any ideas.

Tim