Hibiscus Pest

[MTNauert]

I believe that what you have is either Cottony Cushion Scale or Snow Scale. The white part of each of those "bumps" is an egg sac and will get much larger. This infestation is just getting started as each of those white sacs will each have hundreds of eggs. They will eventually kill the plant. The best remedy is Neem Oil. If you are worried about bees spray in the late afternoon after the bees have left for the day. It is a contact spray on bees so by spraying late in the day it will not harm them.

I’ve dealt w cottony cushion scales before. This is different. They’re not on the trunk or any branches, only the leaves. It looks more like rust to me.

Tho, that is good advice for dealing w the bees! I will remember that for other plants and neem oil

 

[Chuck]

I’ve dealt w cottony cushion scales before. This is different. They’re not on the trunk or any branches, only the leaves. It looks more like rust to me.

Tho, that is good advice for dealing w the bees! I will remember that for other plants and neem oil

I stand corrected. It is Hollyhock Rust (Puccinia malvacearum)

 

[Tetters]

@MTNauert when I enlarged your first photo, I could see a lot of small protrusions on the branch. What are those?
It looked like this picture to me

(I pinched this one)

 

[MTNauert]

I stand corrected. It is Hollyhock Rust (Puccinia malvacearum)

Any advice for dealing w that? It’s a full grown massive bush, and the entire thing is infected. Do I have to just pick every leaf off one by one? Then spray it w baking soda or some other kind of fungicide?

 

[Chuck]

Any advice for dealing w that? It’s a full grown massive bush, and the entire thing is infected. Do I have to just pick every leaf off one by one? Then spray it w baking soda or some other kind of fungicide?

This is a difficult fungus to control. Many expert gardeners recommend removing the affected parts of the plant or the entire plant but I find that a bit excessive until all avenues have been explored. My wife is the flower/ornamental person and she says she knows of 4 products that might be used. Ortho Garden Disease Control, Bonide Mancozeb, Monterey Fungi Max and Tebuconazole Fungicide.