Question
QUESTION: Mealy bugs are resistant to Ultra fine - they seem to thrive on it, other things that I have tried and don't work; all organic insecticides, wiping them off, soapy water etc, treating religiously every 7 days for a month, plant shine products with alcohol, they are voracious little critters. Anything else I can try. mostly on Pothos, benji ficus, some mass canes. Thanks, John from Texas

ANSWER: Hi John,

I assume the plants with the mealybugs are indoor potted plants and not outside where the environment is less controlled.

The key to success with treating any indoor plant pests, including mealybugs, is thoroughness of coverage. That means that the spray has to completely cover all leaf and stem surfaces until they are dripping wet. If you miss just a few of the nearly invisible juveniles, they will reproduce and come back to haunt your plants. Applying any of these products with a cotton swab or by wiping with a cloth is not an effective application method. You need to make a mess to be effective in applying these sprays. For smaller plants, filling a sink or tub with the recommended solution and then inverting the plant to swirl it around is also very effective and less messy than spraying to drip.

Rubbing alcohol diluted with water (1:5 ratio) with a squirt of liquid soap added is quite effective when applied thoroughly as I described. Soapy water alone is not very effective. Leaf shines with alcohol and also not as effective. Most oil sprays are effective, but they often leave the plants with a sticky residue.

The single most effective product is Brand X Foliage Cleaner available only through Southwest Plantscape Products in California. Their phone is 800-333-7977. It is silicon based and the silicon has the ability to penetrate the tiniest of crevices where mealybug eggs often hide. But before you go that route, I suggest focusing on your application technique.

I have written an article on indoor plant pests that I will email for free to anyone who sends a request to me at my address below.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com
or email me at [email protected]
or call me at 917-887-8601 (EDT)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Will, thanks for your answer on mealy bugs, and yes those are interior tropical plants.
Can you give me any care tips on Janet Craig's. Particularly water. I have found the best way to care for them is water them completely top to bottom side to side and let them dry out before watering again. Some of them are doing good but some, it seems no matter how I care for them, just are never happy. Thanks, John Eaves.

Answer
High John,

Thank you for your top ratings! Much appreciated.

Dracaena Janet Craigs are among the most reliable of low light plants. But that means they do not tolerate direct indoor sunlight well at all. They actually thrive in interior offices where they receive only overhead fluorescent lighting 8 hours per day and no natural light at all.

Your watering technique is fine and appropriate for any potted plant. The real issue is just how dry you allow a plant to become before watering again. With a Janet Craig, I would allow the top inch or two to dry before watering thoroughly, as you described. Other plant species may need to dry deeper or not as deed into the soil in between waterings.

Janet Craigs are susceptible to excess mineral salts in the soil coming from too much fertilizer or using hard water. Because they are low light plants I do not recommend fertilizing them. If your local tap water is hard, use filtered or distilled instead. Excess mineral salts cause yellow leaf spots. Allowing the soil to become too dry will also cause this symptom.

I am not sure I have addressed your specific problem here, but I would need to know more specifically what you mean by "never happy" to help you further.

I have written an article on low light plants that I will email for free to anyone who sends a request to me at my address below.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com
or email me at [email protected]
or call me at 917-887-8601 (EDT)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC