Question
I have a 30+ year old Jade.. it's 4+ feet tall and about 3 feet wide.  I live in New England and put it out on our deck every summer, where it thrives wonderfully.  2 years ago, when I brought it back in for the winter, it had mealy bugs.  I worked hard to manually remove as many as possible, almost daily.  I tried researching to find something safe to use on it, but was not successful.  I went to a local garden place and bought something someone recommended... fortunately, I tried it on only one branch, because every leaf on the branch died.  I put it back out this past summer, and the bugs are at least suppressed... but now that it's back indoors, they're back!  I'm so afraid of losing this beautiful tree!!  Can you help me??

Answer
Hi Beth,

Congratulations on your long and successful care of your Jade!

Mealybugs can be safely and effectively removed if you are very thorough. A solution of 5 parts water and 1 part rubbing alcohol with a squirt of liquid soap will do the trick, but only if you get complete coverage of ALL leaf and stem surfaces. If you miss a few of the juvenile mealybugs that are virtually invisible to the naked eye, then they will slowly reproduce and an expanded population will come back to haunt you. That is why the hand-picking or Q-Tip method does not work.

Spray your Jade with this solution until all surfaces are dripping wet. Pay particular attention to the tiny crevices where the leaves attach to the stems. After the soap and alcohol have dried, rinse the plant with plain water.

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

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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