Mealybug - there are many ways of treating the pest that can help limit its numbers and impact on your plants' growth rate, vitality level, and appearance, but to eradicate it quickly, a systemic insecticide works best because of its persistent residual effects. There are 2 formulations of Bayer 3-in-1 for Insects Disease and Mites. One contains the systemic insecticide Imidacloprid, the systemic fungicide tebuconazole, and the miticide tau-fluvalinate. That formulation is very effective against insects with sucking/rasping mouth parts. The other formulation (with the same name) is contains a topical insecticide with no residual effects, so it would be important to make sure you're getting the product with a systemic insecticide and fungicide. The systemic insecticide and fungicide can also be used prophylactically to prevent infestations and infections, even after no original pathogens remain as a threat.

Al

Thank you!

keep in mind.. dont spend more time or money than the plant is worth .. if you can buy a new one for 5 bucks .. then just divest and buy new ...

on the other hand.. what al said about grandma's plants.. etc ...

and.. if you ever see anything like this again.. your first thought. should be to get it about 100 feet form the rest of your collection.. which in summer isnt all that hard.. just put it in shade outside.. until you clean it up ... or in the garbage can at the curb.. lol ..

ken

Musings: We all live under the same sky, but we don't all share the same horizon. Many of us are reluctant to simply give up on a plant in decline, for any of many reasons, w/o making a real effort at turning things around. The personal satisfaction almost all of us seek from our interactions with our plants comes from many directions and changes as the plane on which we interact is elevated. For many of us, the first major goal we set or our first accomplishment was gaining the ability to keep our green friends alive. Just the act of nurturing is something that can sooth the soul of those with a nurturing bone. Observing and learning from our observations is undoubtedly satisfying, as is the knowledge we glean from our intercourse with other like-minded individuals.

When it comes to the effort we put into something, there will always be those who work until the job is completed to the best of their ability, and those who get to a certain point and stop when they think the job is 'good enough'. Where I'm headed is, we're all different and think differently. There is only one person who can determine what a plant is worth, and that would be the plant's care giver. To many of us, it cuts against the grain when someone suggest we just abandon something we feel some sense of responsibility for, and I don't think I'm coming from somewhere out in left field when I talk about feeling a sense of responsibility for the well-being of the plants we grow.

I have plants that react differently than other plants of the same genus/ species/ cultivar. Some I have cared for for a very long time and have learned how deal with their quirkiness. Other plants, even those recently acquired, seem special if only for the promise of things to come - a bloom, fruit, a believable (realistic) bonsai. I think many of us look at our plants in much the same way we look at our pets. In fact, when I'm asked to sell one of my bonsai, my reply is usually, "That would be a little like selling your kids", said with a chuckle. While it's a polite way of saying they're not for sale, and there really is no valid comparison between selling your kids and a tree, there is a kernel of truth in the statement. I have found that many of us, for assorted reasons, want to feel obligated to the plants we care for, and have already considered and rejected the idea that the best way to deal with an unfortunate situation is by ridding oneself of what we allow ourselves to perceived as the cause.

Al

or palm scale.