I believe this is a Cycas revoluta. I have it for just few months. Suddenly some of leaves turned to yellow and some white "thing" spread all over it (both on yellow and still green leaves). What is it, why did it happen and how can I fight it?
This message was edited Feb 15, 2014 3:15 PM
That one looks like Mealy bug.
Are you growing this indoors or out?
You can try removing the pests in safer ways like spraying the plant with a strong blast from a hose, or dabbing at each bug with rubbing alcohol.
You can try safer pesticides like the soap-related products (read the label to be sure Cycads are OK with the product you are using)
You can try stronger pesticides including systemics. These are soaked in through the roots and leaves and kill the pests when they suck the juice of the plant.
There are many pests that are specific to Cycads. Google, using the terms Cycad Scale and Cycad Pests. Try to get Latin names of the pests then get images of them to see if this one might be a specialized Cycad pest.
Knowing what the pest is can be the key to controlling it.
Mealy bug on house plants, or in climates that allow it to grow year round can be controlled at any time, and will need some repeat treatments to make sure to kill any that might have been lurking in difficult to treat places.
Scale pests have a distinct life cycle and go through egg, juvenile and adult phases. The key to controlling most scale is to kill the juveniles before they grow a protective coating.
Thank you Diana I'll follow your advice. The plant is inside the house. One more question - are the rest of plants inside house safe? What is the minimal safe distance?
It depends on the pest.
If these are mealy bug, then they transfer SO easily. :-(
Just brushing against the Cycad then going near the other plants is enough. I have had mealy bugs travel from one room to another, and I assume something had to carry them. They do not fly, and I do not see that they could crawl through the house. Maybe they stuck to one of the dogs, or to my clothes. They are very sticky, so I assume that in nature they stick to animals, especially birds to spread from plant to plant.
If these are a specialized Cycad pest then they are not likely to get onto and thrive on most other house plants. Just Cycads and their close relatives.
