How to prevent pests on succulents in autumn? After a simple disinfection, no bugs are visible

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Pest and disease control is mainly based on prevention. First, the environment must be clean. Strict checks must be carried out on introduced plants, and they should only be placed in growing spaces such as greenhouses or balconies once it is confirmed that there are no pests or diseases. During the three periods of early winter, early spring, and before the plum rain, giving succulents a concentrated pesticide spray has twice the effect with half the effort. In addition, disinfecting the growing medium has a very good preventive effect.

Mealybugs like to suck on the tenderest parts of the plant, so you always find them near the growing point and young buds. Occasionally finding them on the stems is because they are just emerging from the soil and are still climbing upward at a snail's pace, truly slower than a snail. There are indeed some bugs too lazy to climb, with no lofty ambitions, that just lie in the soil sucking the sap from the plant's roots.

Generally, if you dig into the soil and find white powder or white flocculent matter, that is secreted by mealybugs, and inside it you will definitely find semi-transparent larvae or eggs. The diameter of the eggs is very small and can be observed with a magnifying glass. Another thing that must not be taken lightly is that many adults often lie on the back of leaves and in the angles between the leaf and the petiole, in places that are not easily noticed, so when checking the aboveground parts, you must not check only the growing point area. Affected plants will grow weakly, slow down or stop growing, and become dehydrated and withered. It can also cause flower buds and leaves to fall off. In severe cases, the plants will die off in patches.

Many flower enthusiasts often overlook this point, or do not take it seriously, and that is the high-temperature disinfection of flowerpots and potting soil, which is absolutely the best defense. For potting soil bought from the flower market, no matter how much the seller boasts about how clean and hygienic this potting soil is or that it is imported, you must disinfect it at high temperature once you buy it back; this lays a solid foundation.

The first function of high temperature is to eliminate bacteria, and the second and most important function is to eliminate insect eggs. Eliminating bacteria is actually only temporary elimination, because later, as long as the temperature and humidity are suitable, a large amount of bacteria will still break out in the flowerpot, because bacteria can penetrate everywhere. But the elimination of insect eggs is strategic! It cannot be ruled out that insect eggs that are difficult to see with the naked eye may occasionally spread by attaching to objects such as flowerpots or spread by wind, but compared with the number of insect eggs in the potting soil, that is already insignificant.

In autumn, watering succulents can be carried out according to the principle of "water more for varieties in the growing season and less for varieties in the dormant season; water more for healthy plants with vigorous growth and less for plants with weak growth." In August and September, many regions of our country will still have hail and heavy rain, and the south will also have severe weather such as typhoons and strong storms, while in late autumn the north will also have frost and cold waves. These will all cause great harm to succulents, and in severe cases may even cause "total annihilation," destroying plants that have been cultivated for many years in an instant. Therefore, extra care must be taken, and meteorological information should be checked frequently to do a good job of prevention, so as to prevent harm to the plants from severe weather.

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