**Mealy bugs?** + **Plant ID help, please!** [5 pics]
Hi there, I have a few questions.
Here is my newish succulent ^^^ (brought it home a few weeks ago). Can you kindly help with ID -- is it a pachyphytum? Please excuse the leaf cuttings in the bottom of the pot - hoping to propagate them soon. :)
On to my next, very concerning question...Do I have a mealybug infestation upon me? I ask because I found this white fluff on some of my leaves/root stalks...
You can see location here ^^^. I am so worried! In fact, as I type this, I'm counting down the hours until I can go home and quarantine this guy. I thoroughly inspected it but found nothing other than the wispy white cottonwood-like threads. No mealybugs or honeydew. I wonder because I have an IKEA sheep rug in my room but the "threads" seem different.
The only other problem it's been having is that several leaves shriveled up at the node - I suspected it was due to me having the AC on blast for a few days. Now, if I put the AC on at night, I bring my plants into the kitchen - far away from the cool AC. Is it the AC or indicative of mealy bugs or some other problem? Thanks for sharing your helpful wisdom in advance!
Comments (11)
Sonny (Mid-MI, Zone 5b)
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Mealy bugs on clematis Please Help
Comments (11)Thank you for your answers. Yes, I'll try to post my pictures, just for the sake of information. I would be glad to be mistaken. I know it's the earwigs ( or something else) eating the leaves, and I don't see any visible damage from the mealybugs. I also have a different kind of damage on the rose leaves, like trails eaten trough the leaves ( their thickness) and just a thin brown membrane of the leaves remaining.... but this is not the rose forum. I am in Toronto East, zone 6a. Trust me, mealybugs are an outdoor pest. Anybody knows if they die in winter? I have managed to cut most of the branches that were going through and low over my fence, and have not seen more than one or two bugs any more on my plants. I just scrub them down with a piece of the wood mulch that I put around plants, and smash them. I know about q-tips and alcohol, but I was a little concerned about burns/ dehydration on the very young twig knots, where I usually see the mealybugs. But it's just horifying to see so many bugs on these trees and shrubs outside of the fence... systemic would not be an option for me.......See Moremealy bugs in succulents planted in ground
Comments (7)Nil, Thank you again for the ant bait solution. Not knowing this trick. I've had boric acid lining the cracks of windows and doors. Then store bought aunt traps and the ants just laughed at me. I've heard of mixing sugar & water with the boric acid but not about putting it in baby food jars. brilliant. Do you mix the sugar water/boric acid with the protein baby food? Or do you make some with sugar and separate ones with protein? In the baby food jars, can you see what you've caught? The store ant baits are black so I never know if they had any effect. How long is the bait good for? Sorry for all my questions, I'm just such a newbie at this. Anna...See MoreMealy Bugs..Help!
Comments (13)Pure rubbing alcohol will not dry out the leaves??? I thought it would dry them up and I'd end up with dead sticks! Just pure rubbing alcohol sprayed on them will kill them? How often and how far apart on the spray to make sure they are gone. Yes the leaves on my other Lacunosa the leaves look scarred but it still flowers, just looks light green and the leaves looks dreadful. This new one is DEEP green and so pretty..but covered in mealys! so fill me in on the proper alcohol spray way. Do you rinse it after? Or leave it on? That sounds easy and not going to stink up the house...inside till spring...even here in south Fla...cold nights this week...in the 30-40's sunday!...See MorePlease help ID bug on meyer lemon tree
Comments (14)Scale "bugs" feeds on the plant and then secrete a waste product called honeydew. You can google this and read about it. The ants come around to feed on the sweet, sticky honeydew. If you have a big infestation of scale and you walk under a large tree with it, it will "rain" down on you. Yuck. I generally physically remove as many creatures as I can. I try to prune off heavily infested branches, and keep the plant open and airy. I try to keep the plant as healthy as possible with compost and organic mulch, and pesticide and herbicide-free so beneficials including birds will come and help. I would put the scale that I removed and the pruned peices into a bag and discard. I probably would not compost this. Most plants can survive a moderate infestation, most plants are never entirely pest free. I agree horticultural oil acts by smothering the scale. Most folks feel these oils are fairly low toxicity. If you practice IPM you wouldn't really use them. Some folks make a homemade oil and water mixture. Not sure if this is less toxic, use olive oil? If you do use an oil, yes you should spray the undersides of the leaves where the scale hides. I think you would have to repeat after a time as the eggs hatch. I vote for enticing beneficials into the garden with organic practices and plant diversity. I think your Meyer will be OK. Laurie...See More
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years agoSonny
Are the leaves falling off easily?
I hope you don't mind if I ask a question of Rosemarie:
I have very similar looking plants, the leaves are just a touch more pointy - Rosemarie, do you think it is same?
and the flowers:
Thank you both.
Rina
Sonny (Mid-MI, Zone 5b)
8 years ago
Cheryl Gorman
8 years agoI have had this Jade plant for several years and it has never done well. It has been in an east facing window and now it is in a north facing window. What have I done wrong? Thank you! Cheryl
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years agoSonny
Thank you for a suggestion for ID of my plant. It grows quite 'long' and so far upright - but that could be mostly etoliation? It was more compact when new to me and had one pup. Here is the photo from 2012:
I am not 100% sure if it grew from leaves or not since I am pretty bad at keeping them marked (the leaves that is). I have few younglings but have to check if anything looks like it.
CherylSometimes it is better to start a new thread, it may get noticed faster.
I would suggest that your jade suffers from lack of light - etoliation. A very good way to tell is that leaves are too far apart, they should be much closer along the stems. And most branches are skinny and 'twisted' and/or drooping - again, they are looking for more light.
What kind of medium is it potted in?
Otherwise, I don't see disease in any of the photos. If it was my plant, I would pruned it a lot, put it outside if possible, or if not somehow figure out how to give it more light. JMO.
Rina
Cheryl Gorman
8 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoCheryl
Yes, while jades can handle some soil as a part of mix, gritty/gravely mix is good - great drainage, air exchange.
I think pruning depends on your 'vision' of finished plant. I personally like them potted single, with thick trunk. Others may have different likes. I like bonsai styles, but don't have enough knowledge...
I would prune all of the branches - make them short; most likely I would cut off the thick one and pot it as separate plant. It is good time to do it.
Yes to acclimatizing, especially if they were indoors for a while. Also if re-potting and pruning - I would keep them in some dapple shade/filtered sun to begin with (not necessary to bring them in), and keep putting into more sun every 2/few days (I don't know where you are).
Here is photo of one with 'extra' branch, before:
(there are many good threads on pruning on this forum - search for 'chopping jades')and after:
If you like to start new thread, after opening Cacti& Succulent forum, there is large 'box' on top; put title of your thread in top column (where it sayz Example title), and continue with text & photos below. I wouldn't start new one on this subject - it's already 'running' and would be duplication. You could put zone/general location next to your name, it will eliminate questions "where are you located" :)
RinaCheryl Gorman
8 years ago
rosemariero
8 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
rosemariero