I don't know which forums to put this in.. so I post it here!
I have been trying to rid of thise white spot things on bird of paradise.... I cleaned it with soap.water, oil.. not working... sprayed with plant insect.. not working I don't want to throw this huge plant in big pot. Recieved it from my sisters 3 years ago.
I just brought it inside in garage due freeze tonight and tomorrow. This won't survive if I leave outside under patio.
Help!
Lots of white spots all over..
last one.
Have you tried to rub it off with a damp cloth? If you are just spraying it and they are still on the plant, they might be dead and just need to be wiped off.
Yes, I did rub it off and they returned in few weeks later. I think maybe I need to change fresh soil and repot. Before that. I noticed web on top of dirts. I cleaned and sprayed.. then later.. white things on leaves and stems all over. It look like they laid eggs on it or something like that.
Looks like mealybugs or whitefly.
Try dampening a cloth with rubbing alcohol and swabbing each leaf affected, and/or fill a mister with rubbing alcohol and a little squirt of dish washing detergent (a non anti-bacterial type like Ivory or Dove). The squirt of dwl helps the alcohol to 'stick' to the leaves/stems.
This kills mealybugs and doesn't harm the plant, as long as you keep it out of direct sun after spraying.
If you prefer, for your own peace of mind, you can shower or wipe the leaves after the spray dries.
You'll have to be diligent for a couple of weeks and continue to swab/spray until you see no more bugs. If that doesn't work, or your plant is large, you may want to go with a systemic insecticide for houseplants as a last resort. Be sure to follow the label directions to the letter, though.
Edited to correct typo! Good luck getting rid of those nasties!
This message was edited Jan 17, 2007 11:53 AM
Ok, I am going to try that.. Yes it's big plant in a large pot. It's in garage right now due cold weather. I moved it from back patio.
It certainly looks like mealybugs to me......and after last summer, I'm the Mealybug Queen! LOL
LOL
Jerry Baker publishes books on ways to take care of your plants with only household products. I will look up how he treats mealybugs and aphids and get back to you soon. Tonight I have a bonsai meeting and will look it up when I get home.
I had several of my plants get the white stuff. late last winter. I assume it was mealy bugs. Bougainvilla, Christmas Cactus, and an unknown large plant got it really bad... What cured them last year was to take them outside, spray with an insectiside, and leave them out for the season. It totally disappeared and has not returned yet. I wouldn't be surprized if the boggie doesn't catch it again [being indoors].
I just researched Jerry Baker's book and his suggestion for and all purpose bug spray is :
(Mix 1 cup of garlic juice, 1 cup of antiseptic mouthwash, and 1 cup of child's shampoo in a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer. This tonic controls aphids and most other pests that come to dine on your plants. Also, Tobacco Dust sprinkled on plants repels many insect pest. ) These are his words in his book. He talks about using Flea Shampoo instead of Children's Shampoo also for controling insects. The shampoo helps keep the other ingredients stay on the plants.
Minishultz,
Just jumping in here!
I have worked in many greenhouses and the Bird of Paradise seems to be extra succeptible to Mealybugs. They are one of the most difficult infestations to get rid of, as they thrive in all the hidden places of this plants. On the BOP, they can be found into the tight swirls of the new, unfurling leaves as well as in the deep crevices of where the leaf-stems join up with the main stem. It is disgusting!
Nan's advice is right on! You have to be diligent! Check weekly and swab any little white things as you find them. use Q-Tips dipped in alcohol to get into the tight places. Treat the soil with a Systemic Insectecide. ME? If a plant is that heavily infested as your pictures show, I would throw it away! You can buy a new one for under $20, just make sure it is nor infested either.
Growers can clean up the "outside" but then all the Mealybugs start multiplying from all these nooks and crannies. I hate them! They are like Scale! Waxy on the outside, so some Insect Sprays do not do anything. The idea is to "smother them" so they cannot breathe and kill the organisms hiding under the protective "shell"....Soap products work well on this. Put a few drops of Lemon Joy dishwashing liquid in a speay bottle of water and spray down everything! This is a non-chemical way to do it. I guess you could add a bit of rubbing alcohol to this as well.
Good luck! Gita
Good luck. You are going to need it to get rid of those buggers. I hate those things. If we have a dry summer, they get all over everything. LIZ
The bird of pardise is the only that have them.. I checked all others.. none. It been there off and on during 3 years.
I am going to fight it! LOL..
MiniShultz,
If I may say it again--it is not worth it, but you do what you want. I have worked with plants for almost 30 years and can tell you it is extremely hard to readicate an infestation of MB. Judging from your pictures, you have a VERY serious infestation!!!!
Mealybugs are pretty imobile as they find a spot and do not move a lot. You can see adult Mealy bugs easily with the naked eye. If you get a magnifying glass, they look like little Armadillos. If you poke at one, it will move. The "armor" is a waxy coating with the tender parts underneath. That is why soap and alcohol work--they dissolve the waxy coating.
The "nests" are all the fluff things that you see in crotches. This 'fluff', if disturbed, can float through the air and find another plant. Mealybugs do not go to all plants. Cactus and succulents, like Jades, Hoyas, Lipstick Plants, etc. are especially vulnerable. They like warm and dry surroundings. I have seen them on Pothos as well.
If you are determined to launch WW-3. on these, I would isolate your BOP from all other plants and go for the full blitz! Weather permitting--I would take it outside and TOTALLY drench every nook and cranny with 1:1 alcohol solution with a few drops of Liquid Joy added. Repeat at least 3 times at 10 day intervals.
Good luck again, Gita
