What to Do When Succulents Get Pests? Practical Pest Control Methods Shared

Many people like growing succulents; these fleshy plants look plump and very cute. Their cultivation method is relatively simple, but if they are not cared for properly, they will get pests. So,what should you do when fleshy plants get pests?

This depends on what kind of pest the fleshy plant has; it could be red spider mites, scale insects, root-knot nematodes, Lycaenidae moths, etc.

1. Red spider mites

They mainly harm succulents in the Asclepiadaceae subfamily, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Asphodelaceae and other families. You can check whether there are spider webs on the back of the leaves; this is generally accompanied by tiny red/white/dark-colored insects. If so, it can basically be judged as a red spider mite infection. For control, you can use 40% dicofol emulsifiable concentrate at 1000-1500 times dilution, 20% clofentezine wettable powder at 2000 times dilution, 15% pyridaben emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution, 1.8% abamectin emulsifiable concentrate at 6000-8000 times dilution, and other pesticides.

2. Scale insects

They like to attach to the back of leaves and the center of the leaves, and often harm succulents with relatively thin leaf epidermis and high water content, such as Crassulaceae and Cactaceae, but they do less harm to succulents in Aizoaceae, Asphodelaceae, the former Asclepiadaceae and other families. For control, you can use 40% omethoate at 1000 times dilution, 50% malathion at 1500 times dilution, 2.5% deltamethrin at 3000 times dilution, Supracide at 800-1000 times dilution, carbofuran, and other pesticides.

3. Root-knot nematodes

They often attach to the plant root system and suck water from the roots. They are a threat to all succulents, and are commonly seen in non-toxic varieties such as Crassulaceae and Aizoaceae; they are less common in Asphodelaceae because it has slight toxicity. For control, you can use 10% ethoprophos, 3% Miral, 5% Yishubao, abamectin, and other pesticides.

4. Lycaenidae moths

Their larvae do relatively great harm to succulents and are not easy to find. They are commonly seen on Crassulaceae succulents with smaller or rod-shaped leaves, such as Sedum pachyphyllum and Sedum rubrotinctum, while they do no harm to those with large, thin leaves or with fuzz. You can spray and kill them with a 1:1200 concentration of Jiebijiezhi.