Check plants thoroughly to see if pests or any fungus appears on plant. No problems just use a spray of horticultural oil to smother any first stage of pests. In case you find pests and want to keep
the plant place it in a protected (frost free garage) and give it treatments. See Paula Szilard article in 2013 Fall Issue "Dealing With Buggy Plants in Winter
#2
Bernie(Saturday, 18 October 2014 15:40)
HGA webmaster added the 2013 Fall Issue with Paula's article to the magazine archives so visit it for help
#3
Tom Eckert(Friday, 31 October 2014 09:11)
Remove all dead plant material from the pot. Now is a good time to repot the plant giving it fresh soil. While repotting, check the plant for bugs, scale and fungus growth. If infected, treat with
the proper spray. Trim the plant to reshape it if necessary. Check your favorite book or web site for the proper winter light requirements for your plant (s).
#4
Bernie(Saturday, 22 November 2014 08:05)
Scale Insects on Houseplants
Scale insects are a common pest of houseplants and can be found stunting and deforming plants throughout the year. Any of several different species of scale insects may be found on plants in the home
or greenhouse. They all have in common a waxy or shell-like covering over the body of the sessile insect.
NOTE: Contact wiener1@verzion.net to receive the detailed information on handling the scale problem
#5
Bernie(Sunday, 30 November 2014 07:56)
Signs and Symptoms: Spider mites, or red-spiders, appear as tiny dots
moving over the plant surface. They have very fine piercing/sucking
mouthparts and feed by sucking out plant fluids. Their feeding activity on
plant tissue results in a browning of the foliage ("bronzing"), due to the
loss of chlorophyll. Webbing over parts of the plant is often seen when populations are high
Mechanical - Wash plants with soapy water (2 tsp. mild detergent/gal.
water) and a soft brush, making sure to wash on the undersides of leaves.
Alternatively, hosing tough plants with a strong jet of water to knock them off
#6
Bernie(Wednesday, 03 December 2014 08:13)
Check Your House Plants .
Aphids are usually less than 1/8 inch long and are slow moving. They come in shades of green, red, brown, black and yellow. Their fat pear-shaped bodies have two small tubes called cornicles
projecting from their rear. No other insect has these. Aphids have needlelike mouthparts which they use to suck juices out of plants. They don't chew, so if you have chewing damage on a plant, aphids
are not to blame.
At the first sign of an infestation, act fast–aphids can take over quickly! Be sure to use an organic knockdown like SucraShield, Safer® Brand Insect Killing Soap with Seaweed Extract, or Bonide
Insecticidal Soap. Mycotrol O, an insect parasitic fungus, is additionally useful for those looking for a bio-control spray..
#7
Bernie(Sunday, 07 December 2014 08:55)
Got Yellow Leaves On Your Plants?
Yellowed leaves are a very common plant ailment that comes up in all kinds of discussions. There are several reasons why any plant can develop yellow leaves: age, drainage, disease, infestation,
light, drought, or fertilization practices. As a responsible plant owner, what you need to ask yourself is - too much or too little?
For more information contact wiener1@verizon.net
#8
Mark(Sunday, 25 January 2015 17:03)
Any suggestions for mealybugs in a greenhouse attached to my house? I've tried soap spray and an alcohol/water mix and both help, but the eggs keep hatching.......
#9
Tom Eckert(Thursday, 29 January 2015 15:09)
Mark,
Since the greenhouse is attached to your residence, I would suggest systemic granules insecticide rather than smelly sprays . As an example Bonide's Systemic Granules kills a wide variety of insect
pests including the Mealy Bug. There are cautions as with any treatment with insecticides so always read the labels. Bonide's granules contain "imidacloprid", which is in the Neonicotinoid family of
insecticides which is causing a big debate on its possibly in the field killing the honey bee population.
For the greenhouse use on house plants it should pose no problems. I have been using it for several years. However if you have dogs or cats that like to chew on plants I would not recommend using it
as a precaution.
As a note, and on the precaution side, any product containing Neonicotinoid's should not be used on any foods grown for consumption, weather in the greenhouse or the outside gardens. The Bonide
Systemic Granules are labeled as having a 8 week effective time envelope. So in order to kill off several generations of the mealy bugs, like most insect problems, several applications may be
necessary.
#10
Tom Eckert(Friday, 06 February 2015 06:50)
Email from John Bannow, St. Joseph, MI, recommends growing "pinguicula", small carnivorus plants in the greenhouse to help control fungus gnats.
#11
Bernie(Wednesday, 11 February 2015 08:17)
Scale Insects on Houseplants
Scale insects are a common pest of houseplants and can be found stunting and deforming plants throughout the year. Any of several different species of scale insects may be found on plants in the home
or greenhouse. They all have in common a waxy or shell-like covering over the body of the sessile insect.
Most scales are tan or brown and vary from 1/16 to 1/4 inch in diameter. Scales may be found on the stems and/or leaves. Some scales are hemispherical in shape, while others are oval and flat
Granular insecticides that you add to the soil of infested houseplants seem to have very limited effectiveness and their use in the home is discouraged because of toxicity concerns. On those plants
that regrow after pruning, remove the heavily infested stems and treat the remainder of the plant. Finally, unless the plant is particularly valuable, many people find it best to throw away infested
plants before the pests spread to other houseplants.
________________________________________
Prepared by Donald Lewis, Department of Entomology
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
.
I grow my orchids semi hydroponically. I have Bonide Systemic Granules. How do you suggest that I apply them. I am confronted by a mealy bug infestation. I just discovered your cite and I really like
it!
Write a comment
Bernie (Saturday, 11 October 2014 17:01)
Check plants thoroughly to see if pests or any fungus appears on plant. No problems just use a spray of horticultural oil to smother any first stage of pests. In case you find pests and want to keep the plant place it in a protected (frost free garage) and give it treatments. See Paula Szilard article in 2013 Fall Issue "Dealing With Buggy Plants in Winter
Bernie (Saturday, 18 October 2014 15:40)
HGA webmaster added the 2013 Fall Issue with Paula's article to the magazine archives so visit it for help
Tom Eckert (Friday, 31 October 2014 09:11)
Remove all dead plant material from the pot. Now is a good time to repot the plant giving it fresh soil. While repotting, check the plant for bugs, scale and fungus growth. If infected, treat with the proper spray. Trim the plant to reshape it if necessary. Check your favorite book or web site for the proper winter light requirements for your plant (s).
Bernie (Saturday, 22 November 2014 08:05)
Scale Insects on Houseplants
Scale insects are a common pest of houseplants and can be found stunting and deforming plants throughout the year. Any of several different species of scale insects may be found on plants in the home or greenhouse. They all have in common a waxy or shell-like covering over the body of the sessile insect.
NOTE: Contact wiener1@verzion.net to receive the detailed information on handling the scale problem
Bernie (Sunday, 30 November 2014 07:56)
Signs and Symptoms: Spider mites, or red-spiders, appear as tiny dots
moving over the plant surface. They have very fine piercing/sucking
mouthparts and feed by sucking out plant fluids. Their feeding activity on
plant tissue results in a browning of the foliage ("bronzing"), due to the
loss of chlorophyll. Webbing over parts of the plant is often seen when populations are high
Mechanical - Wash plants with soapy water (2 tsp. mild detergent/gal.
water) and a soft brush, making sure to wash on the undersides of leaves.
Alternatively, hosing tough plants with a strong jet of water to knock them off
Bernie (Wednesday, 03 December 2014 08:13)
Check Your House Plants .
Aphids are usually less than 1/8 inch long and are slow moving. They come in shades of green, red, brown, black and yellow. Their fat pear-shaped bodies have two small tubes called cornicles projecting from their rear. No other insect has these. Aphids have needlelike mouthparts which they use to suck juices out of plants. They don't chew, so if you have chewing damage on a plant, aphids are not to blame.
At the first sign of an infestation, act fast–aphids can take over quickly! Be sure to use an organic knockdown like SucraShield, Safer® Brand Insect Killing Soap with Seaweed Extract, or Bonide Insecticidal Soap. Mycotrol O, an insect parasitic fungus, is additionally useful for those looking for a bio-control spray..
Bernie (Sunday, 07 December 2014 08:55)
Got Yellow Leaves On Your Plants?
Yellowed leaves are a very common plant ailment that comes up in all kinds of discussions. There are several reasons why any plant can develop yellow leaves: age, drainage, disease, infestation, light, drought, or fertilization practices. As a responsible plant owner, what you need to ask yourself is - too much or too little?
For more information contact wiener1@verizon.net
Mark (Sunday, 25 January 2015 17:03)
Any suggestions for mealybugs in a greenhouse attached to my house? I've tried soap spray and an alcohol/water mix and both help, but the eggs keep hatching.......
Tom Eckert (Thursday, 29 January 2015 15:09)
Mark,
Since the greenhouse is attached to your residence, I would suggest systemic granules insecticide rather than smelly sprays . As an example Bonide's Systemic Granules kills a wide variety of insect pests including the Mealy Bug. There are cautions as with any treatment with insecticides so always read the labels. Bonide's granules contain "imidacloprid", which is in the Neonicotinoid family of insecticides which is causing a big debate on its possibly in the field killing the honey bee population.
For the greenhouse use on house plants it should pose no problems. I have been using it for several years. However if you have dogs or cats that like to chew on plants I would not recommend using it as a precaution.
As a note, and on the precaution side, any product containing Neonicotinoid's should not be used on any foods grown for consumption, weather in the greenhouse or the outside gardens. The Bonide Systemic Granules are labeled as having a 8 week effective time envelope. So in order to kill off several generations of the mealy bugs, like most insect problems, several applications may be necessary.
Tom Eckert (Friday, 06 February 2015 06:50)
Email from John Bannow, St. Joseph, MI, recommends growing "pinguicula", small carnivorus plants in the greenhouse to help control fungus gnats.
Bernie (Wednesday, 11 February 2015 08:17)
Scale Insects on Houseplants
Scale insects are a common pest of houseplants and can be found stunting and deforming plants throughout the year. Any of several different species of scale insects may be found on plants in the home or greenhouse. They all have in common a waxy or shell-like covering over the body of the sessile insect.
Most scales are tan or brown and vary from 1/16 to 1/4 inch in diameter. Scales may be found on the stems and/or leaves. Some scales are hemispherical in shape, while others are oval and flat
Granular insecticides that you add to the soil of infested houseplants seem to have very limited effectiveness and their use in the home is discouraged because of toxicity concerns. On those plants that regrow after pruning, remove the heavily infested stems and treat the remainder of the plant. Finally, unless the plant is particularly valuable, many people find it best to throw away infested plants before the pests spread to other houseplants.
________________________________________
Prepared by Donald Lewis, Department of Entomology
Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
.
Ted Belfield (Sunday, 05 February 2017 00:36)
Great post! We will be linking to this particularly great content on our site. Keep up the good writing.
Jeanne (Monday, 13 March 2017 19:10)
I grow my orchids semi hydroponically. I have Bonide Systemic Granules. How do you suggest that I apply them. I am confronted by a mealy bug infestation. I just discovered your cite and I really like it!