Re: Mealies and flat mites and scale -- oh, my!
Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2020 10:52 pm
Great! Thank you for your help! I'm going to dose up my collection tonight and hopefully this will be the end of my mealybug problem for a while.
On-line Guide to the positive identification of Members of the Cactus Family
https://www.cactiguide.com/forum/
yah ... i concur ... i've used this for both inside and outside plants, and it is an unbelievably effective product.Steve Johnson wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 12:46 am My product of choice is Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 containing 0.47% Imidacloprid.
Here's one that I think SOME people may like as it is a little less of a "chemical solution" and more of an "organic" solution.Steve Johnson wrote: ↑Mon Dec 31, 2018 12:46 am A. Specify the product's brand name and what it does.
B. Tell us if the product is currently available to hobbyists. Environmental regulations vary from state to state, but unless the product is sold only to professionals, hobbyist growers can determine whether or not they'll be able to buy it in their state.
C. Let us know about where we can find the product online if it's not something obvious (like Amazon or eBay).
I give all of my cacti soil soaks, so I'm not sure what you mean by "wash". If you're talking about simply washing the roots of your plants with Imidacloprid, you won't get the long-term systemic benefits you'd have by doing a soil soak.
Yes sorry I meant the soil soaks!- I have these two products already and I was wondering if they would be okay to use.Steve Johnson wrote: ↑Fri May 08, 2020 10:44 pmI give all of my cacti soil soaks, so I'm not sure what you mean by "wash". If you're talking about simply washing the roots of your plants with Imidacloprid, you won't get the long-term systemic benefits you'd have by doing a soil soak.
Good, just wanted to make sure we're on the same page here.
No, but your post led me to check the product out. I've been wanting a systemic miticide for the longest time -- never thought I'd find one, so Azamax is a really intriguing possibility. And if it's effective on mealies and scale too, it'd suit me just fine to ditch the Imidacloprid. Definitely worth investigating. Thanks for the heads-up!LawyerNinja wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 8:26 pm Steve have you heard anything about Azamax?
I have began to soil soak my cacti/succulents (Some Lophs, Trichs, and various others) in a mixture. Have had great success as I had a bit of a Mealy outbreak when Sprint began here in TN.
No more mealy bugs after about two weeks after first soaks and consistently looking/hunting for stragglers and dabbing them with 70% iso alcohol.
https://generalhydroponics.com/azamax
THIS PRODUCT IS A SCAM. Azamax is actually not a systemic insecticide, despite what the blurb on their site says. From the description, it sounds like a purified form of the active ingredient of neem oil, which acts topically. I looked at the label directions, and it doesn't indicate it's meant for use as a systemic insecticide. The directions on soil soak specifically refers to killing larvae in the soil, not uptake for systemic action:Steve Johnson wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 5:47 amNo, but your post led me to check the product out. I've been wanting a systemic miticide for the longest time -- never thought I'd find one, so Azamax is a really intriguing possibility. And if it's effective on mealies and scale too, it'd suit me just fine to ditch the Imidacloprid. Definitely worth investigating. Thanks for the heads-up!LawyerNinja wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 8:26 pm Steve have you heard anything about Azamax?
I have began to soil soak my cacti/succulents (Some Lophs, Trichs, and various others) in a mixture. Have had great success as I had a bit of a Mealy outbreak when Sprint began here in TN.
No more mealy bugs after about two weeks after first soaks and consistently looking/hunting for stragglers and dabbing them with 70% iso alcohol.
https://generalhydroponics.com/azamax
They also state:Use AzaMax® as a soil drench for effective control of soil-borne insect larvae, including soil-borne larvae of foliar pests, such as fungus gnats, nematodes, or soil borne thrips
So allegedly it's "systemic" if you apply it to both sides the leaf (as indicated in the instructions)Foliar applications offer locally systemic activity against insect pests
I'm not saying this isn't effective as a topical spray, just that their description is misleading as it is NOT a systemic, and it's not true when they said it was. I'd strongly suggest avoiding this AzaMax and anything else this company makes. There are plenty of companies out there that sell accurately described products in accordance with the law and best practices (and in addition, accordance with promoting the safe use of chemicals)7 U.S.C. 136j(a)(1)(E) - unlawful to distribute or sell to any person - - any pesticide which is adulterated or misbranded
Dodi, I'm using this method right now and will report on the results. Imidacloprid looks promising but also looks illegal or difficult to import into Canada due to regulations. Hydrogen peroxide has worked in the past for me in medical situations and I remember reading about it in another gardening book. I've been watering the plants with a diluted amount of it now and preparing a spray because I am having a double attack on some plants of red spider mites and mealy bugs. If it gets worse after a couple of weeks I will remove each plant and soak the roots.Dodi Russell wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2019 6:20 amThanksSteve Johnson wrote: ↑Sat Nov 09, 2019 7:20 am Hi Dodi,
Did some research on the Bayer website, and instructions for your Admire Imidacloprid indicate a dilution of 35 ml per 5 liters of water. It's awfully hard to overdose cacti on Imidacloprid, so you should be fine if you up the amount to 10ml per liter. Your Melocactus is definitely worth saving, so here's what to do...
Pot the Melo in fresh, dry cactus mix. Let it settle in for 1-2 weeks before you water it. The term "soil soak" means exactly what it says -- saturate the mix with the Imidacloprid-water solution. Water the plant with plain water 7-10 days after that, and the roots will continue to take up any residual Imidacloprid. If you're concerned about the possibility that root mealies have spread to your other pots, you may want to give the rest of your cacti a preventative soil soak as well.
The downside to Imidacloprid is the fact that it's harmful to bees, so we need to be responsible about disposing of Imidacloprid-laced runoff. When you do soil soaks, capture the runoff in a pan or bucket, then pour it into an empty bottle or jug for disposal. Home hazardous waste centers are easy to find here in the US, although I don't know if it's a problem for you in Sri Lanka. If it is, you may have to steer clear of the Imidacloprid and kill the root mealies with warm soapy water before you pot your Melo.
I am going to use the soap water bath to treat the mealy bugs. I don't want to damage the surrounding ecosystems using Imidacloprid just to save my plant. ImidaclopridI is sold here as a pesticide and is just sprayed on plants. I never knew the impact it had on other ecosystems. Thanks for informing about the impacts of ImidaclopridI.
Edit: here's the melocactus in the soap water bath
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I am going to heat up the potting mix the melocactus was in, that will clean the mix.
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I washed the roots and put it in a Hydrogen peroxide solution( the H2O2 I get is 6% so in another topic I was told to dilute it with 4 parts water and 1 H2O2 )
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Bubbles forming on the root of the plant. After this I am going to pot it after 2 or 3 days