Question
I live in a third-floor, southwest-facing apartment about five mile inland in Los Angeles. On my balcony, I have a Christmas cactus, kalanchoes, herbs and a large jade tree. All have become infested with whiteflies, mealybugs, little black bugs and green aphids -- despite several applications of, first, essential oils, then insecticidal soap, then bug killing spray from the garden store (obviously I'm not eating the herbs). I'm being told to ditch all my plants and start over, but it would break my heart to lose everything, especially the large jade. And if I do start over, how can I prevent this from happening again? As I'm way up in the air, the pests may have come from an infested plant. Either way, it's a mess.

Answer
I never advocate the use of chemicals, but sometimes when the infestation gets really bad, there really is no other alternative. The most effective is Sevin, but it should be used only as a last resort.

Two organic controls you did not mention are pyrethrum and/or rotenone. Both are plant derivatives and are safe to humans, but highly toxic to pests. You can purchase these products at your local nursery or through one of the attached links.

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8659&ss=rotenone

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/pyganic-pest-control.html

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/pyrethrum-powder.html

http://www.planetnatural.com/site/rotenone-pyrethrin.html

I hope this information helps. Please write again if you ever need assistance.

Regards,

Mike