Ok i havent been on the forum for ages, on to look then off again (personal reasons) but then i decided im gonna re-pott my plants because i got my new potting mix, i potted a few, decided to do my Stenocactus, unpott it and its full of root mealys!!! I read about normal mealys but what do i do with root mealys!
Can someone please tell me what i have to do, i so dont want them to take over my plants!!!
AHHH! Just checked my Gymno Denudatum, i unpotted it and it literally had 3 roots! Mealys evreywhere! Ahhrrghg!!!
Ahhh! Root Mealys!!!!
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MichaelCactus
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- Location: Bendig, Victoria, Australia
Ahhh! Root Mealys!!!!
Last edited by MichaelCactus on Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
Completely Confused, yet Completely Addicted.
I would try to fight the root mealy bugs with a systemic insecticide. I have heard from several people on this forum, that the chemical imidacloprid is effective and long lasting. My own agency is using this ingredient to fight the Asian Longhorn Beetle that preys on the wood of living trees. However, as with all chemical treatments, eventually the pest will develop resistance. If the infestation is limited to just this one plant, you should keep it isolated from the others for a few days or weeks, until the insecticide has had time to kill the mealy bugs and also those hatching from their eggs. If in doubt, give all your plants the treatment as a precautionary measure. On my bottle with this systemic insecticide it states, that there is a 12 month insect protection once applied. That may or may not be the case. I would not know, but the pesticide must have been tested for effectiveness and possibly the duration for which it was effective. I have found mealy bugs to be very persistent pests and also very prolific. While the ones appearing on the top growth of plants can be kept in check with predatory insects, soap sprays, etc. those on the roots are harder to control. It is good, that you spotted the problem before any of your plants were killed and hopefully before the insects had spread to your whole collection of plants.
Maybe someone who has experience fighting these critters will give you some more specific advice. I do wish you the best of success in eliminating the pest.
Harald
Maybe someone who has experience fighting these critters will give you some more specific advice. I do wish you the best of success in eliminating the pest.
Harald
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MichaelCactus
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- Location: Bendig, Victoria, Australia
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Lewis_cacti
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MichaelCactus
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- Location: Bendig, Victoria, Australia
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MichaelCactus
- Posts: 1062
- Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:52 am
- Location: Bendig, Victoria, Australia
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MichaelCactus
- Posts: 1062
- Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:52 am
- Location: Bendig, Victoria, Australia
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MichaelCactus
- Posts: 1062
- Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:52 am
- Location: Bendig, Victoria, Australia
Ahh like everything has mealys even the succulents!
Im seriously thinking about borrowing my aunties unused greenhouse thingy, putting every cactus i have in it, and buying these Chilocorus
Then releasing them into the greenhouse so that they can get the infestation under control, but im worried that it wont be possible for them, because of the spines and etc on cacti
Ahh im lost at what to do.[/url]
Im seriously thinking about borrowing my aunties unused greenhouse thingy, putting every cactus i have in it, and buying these Chilocorus
Then releasing them into the greenhouse so that they can get the infestation under control, but im worried that it wont be possible for them, because of the spines and etc on cacti
Ahh im lost at what to do.[/url]
Completely Confused, yet Completely Addicted.
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lordarutha
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I have just read about those and they are for scale, they won't sort out your mealy problem. I don't think there is much in the way of natural control, it's going to have to be chemicals mate. 
Tokuthion - 5ml/10l water
Chlorpirifos - 100ml/10l
Confidor - 10ml/10l
Malathion - 25ml/10l
Just found this on a website. hope it helps.
Tokuthion - 5ml/10l water
Chlorpirifos - 100ml/10l
Confidor - 10ml/10l
Malathion - 25ml/10l
Just found this on a website. hope it helps.
Paul.
get them out of the pots, clean off as much soil as you can and spray the roots. leave them in the shade for a day or 2 to dry the roots meantime get rid of the infested soil well away from the house so they don't come back. wash all your pots and stuff in a bucket of water, check round where they normally stand and wash there too (root mealies crawl from pot to pot)
repot in clean fresh soil (micro wave it if you are worried that they came with the soil) give them a week or so to settle in the new soil then water with the dilute concentrate that your dad will get you in the meantime.
don't panic it may set them back a bit but i don't expect you will lose much if anything.
repot in clean fresh soil (micro wave it if you are worried that they came with the soil) give them a week or so to settle in the new soil then water with the dilute concentrate that your dad will get you in the meantime.
don't panic it may set them back a bit but i don't expect you will lose much if anything.
incurable cactoholic
growing rebutia's with a mix of others.
growing rebutia's with a mix of others.
The spray bottle is already at the correct dilution, but watering any sizeable collection with it is going to cost a lot. Confidor should also be available in concentrate form, get that, dilute as directed, and then water every plant. You should have loads left over for spring.
You could depot everything and then treat them afterwards, but by the time you get them all back in pots and settled in, it will probably be too late in the year for them to take up the insecticide.
You could depot everything and then treat them afterwards, but by the time you get them all back in pots and settled in, it will probably be too late in the year for them to take up the insecticide.
--ian
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Lewis_cacti
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One of the requirements for a systemic insecticide such as Confidor to work effectively is that the affected plants be in active growth (taking up water). it is mid Autumn.. your plants should not have gone dormant just yet, i hope. Obviously flooding a dormant plant that must have a dry winter rest (eg Astrophytum) and is not taking up water is not going to be conductive to that plant's health and may well end up killing it by rotting.
You will have to find some Confidor concentrate. i use it and get it at Bunnings. It is expensive, but worth it... it would doubtless be more expensive buying lots of pre-diluted spray bottles(especially after you told me the price of 1 bottle in Bendigo
). Perhaps to prevent re-infection, after all your plants have been treated with the systemic, you could also get a cheaper contact insecticide such as Pyrethrum or even a flyspray and thoroughly go over the bottom of pots, empty pots, benches, floors, walls etc of wherever your plants are kept.
You will have to find some Confidor concentrate. i use it and get it at Bunnings. It is expensive, but worth it... it would doubtless be more expensive buying lots of pre-diluted spray bottles(especially after you told me the price of 1 bottle in Bendigo
). Perhaps to prevent re-infection, after all your plants have been treated with the systemic, you could also get a cheaper contact insecticide such as Pyrethrum or even a flyspray and thoroughly go over the bottom of pots, empty pots, benches, floors, walls etc of wherever your plants are kept.As Lewis points out - it does take a some time for the systemic to get working, but if you follow hob's advice and wash the roots of and use non-infected soil, it will take the root mealies a while to get rolling again too.
One think you can do to the roots is spray a topical insecticide on them or soak them for a few hours in a solution of contact insectide before repotting. Keep it off the plant body, however as it will burn the plant when the sun hits it. (not a problem for roots)
Daiv
One think you can do to the roots is spray a topical insecticide on them or soak them for a few hours in a solution of contact insectide before repotting. Keep it off the plant body, however as it will burn the plant when the sun hits it. (not a problem for roots)
Daiv
All Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are Cacti
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MichaelCactus
- Posts: 1062
- Joined: Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:52 am
- Location: Bendig, Victoria, Australia
Thank you all for the info and advice, sorry i wasnt on to reply.
Today i went out and bought some Confidor concentrate, 5 sachets make 25 litres of Confidor, so im going to go over all my plants and everything, especially seeing most need repotting anyway.
Hob, you said about cleaning everything around where they are, pots and etc, my plants are sitting on the ground in a sort of shady area all together, would it be a good idea to get a rack or something to get them off the ground? Also, how would i go about microwaving pottingmix and scoria/sand? I dont want it to explode and destroy the microwave.
Paul, i posted the link to the wrong bug sorry, its another lady bird beatle, ahaha im not thinking about that, i was just in a panic about my plants
Lewis, i have moved my Astro's inside, where its quite warm, but seems the mealys come back, maybe theyre in the soil, which i had just re-potted
Iann, say i moved my collection inside so its "warmer" would it postpone them going dormant long enough to take effect?
Today i went out and bought some Confidor concentrate, 5 sachets make 25 litres of Confidor, so im going to go over all my plants and everything, especially seeing most need repotting anyway.
Hob, you said about cleaning everything around where they are, pots and etc, my plants are sitting on the ground in a sort of shady area all together, would it be a good idea to get a rack or something to get them off the ground? Also, how would i go about microwaving pottingmix and scoria/sand? I dont want it to explode and destroy the microwave.
Paul, i posted the link to the wrong bug sorry, its another lady bird beatle, ahaha im not thinking about that, i was just in a panic about my plants
Lewis, i have moved my Astro's inside, where its quite warm, but seems the mealys come back, maybe theyre in the soil, which i had just re-potted
Iann, say i moved my collection inside so its "warmer" would it postpone them going dormant long enough to take effect?
Completely Confused, yet Completely Addicted.