Don't be careless about pest control in spring, lest you suffer in summer

This saying comes up often. In the season when all things revive, you'll see flowers and plants sending out new shoots one after another. It's also a great time for succulents to grow.

But

people also overlook one problem:

the pests and diseases that harm succulents

have also begun their yearly activity.

The most common pest on succulents is called the mealybug. Experienced growers who have kept succulents for years have all seen just how formidable scale insects can be.

You might be thinking, I'm keeping mine perfectly well, so how could bugs show up? In fact, scale insects are already far too common, and everyone who grows succulents will run into them. You can't see the eggs with the naked eye. They may already be in the soil of your pot or on the roots of your plants right now - you just can't see them.

 

If you don't pay attention to pest control now, then when scale insects break out in summer, I believe many beginners will be at a loss.

The three most common insects when growing succulents

▼

Scale insects

Aphids

Root mealybugs

1

Scale insects

are the greatest natural enemy of succulents. The reason scale insects are so hard to eradicate is that they reproduce quickly, secrete a waxy substance on their body surface, and carry a shield with them (the scale). The drugs that are specifically effective against scale insects are often of the emulsifiable concentrate type. While penetrating the wax of the scale insects, they also corrode the leaf surface of succulents, causing phytotoxicity. So... aside from killing the insects instantly, the sticky fluid they leave behind is also very lethal and easily causes diseases such as "sooty mold." So be sure to wash with clean water. At this point, don't worry about whether the farina rubs off or not ~ staying alive matters most.

Common methods:

Use Huahuashen to kill the insects, and by the way use a spray bottle to wash away the dirty stains.

2

Aphids

The most disgusting thing about this insect is that the adults can fly! It actually flies! Generally, though, they won't actively choose succulents to feed on, but aphids are often found on succulent flower stalks - presumably attracted by the nectar. When they gnaw on succulents, they also leave behind some oil-stain-like liquid that is especially sticky, and it sticks to the leaves along with all kinds of stains, making it hard to clean off.

Spotting them is quite easy - just pay more attention to the flower stalks. Those large masses of black or green are usually aphids.

Common methods

: Simply cut off the flower stalks and throw them away, then use a cotton swab dipped in water to clean the leaves.

3

Root mealybugs

are very hard to eliminate. The most troublesome thing is that they always hide in the soil and are extremely hard to spot. Only when the insects have already multiplied out of control will they crawl out or flow out from the drainage hole of the pot. Although they are very small, they will also slowly crawl into other pots.

This kind of insect is relatively hard to spot, but you can pay more attention to the ground. If you find small white dots on the ground, then you should be on alert - perhaps by then every pot in your home is infested with root mealybugs.

Treatment methods

: Since these things are really too small and always appear in groups, you either use poison or completely change the soil and wash the plants.

Pest prevention

you can use a slightly lighter ratio of Huahuashen,

Killing pests

you can use a slightly stronger ratio of Huahuashen.

After applying the pesticide to succulents, do not expose them to strong sun. Put them in

a semi-shaded spot

, and wait until the next day to resume normal care.

Actually, this is already the least troublesome method. There are also other options depending on the situation, such as using alcohol, abamectin, and so on. But basically, I just use Huahuashen for pest prevention, and I think the results are already very good.

If you find insects, you can dilute Huahuashen in 1000 ml of water, which is exactly twice the volume of a 500 ml cola bottle. The diluted Huahuashen can be sprayed directly on the succulents. The insects it can kill include: scale insects, fungus gnats, aphids, red spider mites, and the larvae of the dark gray butterfly (the smaller ones, recently hatched). One more thing to note,

please wear rubber gloves ~ after all, it is also a pesticide ~ and keep it away from children and pregnant women!

As for any kind of insect, everyone should treat them correctly, and there is no need to be overly nervous or afraid, because insects and plants live together ~

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