Question
I have 3 different houseplants that drip sticky residue and i would appreciate ideas on how to stop it. I have a large indoor bougainvillea that drips a lot, plus I have 2 orchids that leave a bit of residue nearby, and an arthurium that drips a bit. any ideas on why they do that?
thanks for your help
Alice

Answer
Alice,

The sticky residue is not coming from the plants, it is coming from insects on the plants. It is their excrement. The insects are either aphids(especially if you also have ants, ants farm the aphids by moving them from plant to plant), mealy bugs (these look like little bits of cotton on the leaves and stem) or scale (this looks like little circles on the stem or leaves of a plant and they can be flicked off with the tip of a knife). Mealy bugs and aphids can be elimintated by mixing 2 cups of water with 2 cups of rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and add a teaspoon of dish detergent. Then put the mix in a sprayer and spray each plant making sure you get the fronts and backs of all leaves every 3 days for a month. Consistency is the key so you eliminate any insects that have hatched out of eggs before they have a chance to lay more eggs.

It the problem is scale they are a bit more difficult to get rid of. Take q-tips and dip them in rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and wipe the scale off the plant. When you are done spray the plant with rubbing alcohol (straight, not mixed with water)to kill any that are down between leaves. Respray it every 3 days again to eliminate any insects that have hatched out of eggs before they have a chance to lay more eggs. If you have more questions write again. Good luck.

Darlene