What to Do When Your Jade Plant Gets Pests? Introduction to Pest Control Methods
I. Introduction
If you want to grow a plant well, the first thing you need to do is understand its habits, which will also make it easier to care for it better in the future.
The jade plant (Crassula ovata) is an evergreen shrub with leaves full of sap, and it likes a warm but relatively dry environment. It should be given plenty of sunlight, but not exposed to direct strong light. It likes fertile sandy loam, and the soil's drainage capacity must reach a certain level or above.
If grown in winter, the temperature must not drop below 7°C. Although the jade plant is toxic, it is also very susceptible to pest damage, and the main pest is the scale insect.
II. Treatment Methods for Scale Insect Infestation
Scale insects are the pest most disliked by many flower-growing enthusiasts, and they are one of the most common pests of flowers, melons and fruits. They often gather in groups on the roots, stems, leaves, fruits and other parts of plants, surviving and reproducing by sucking the plant's sap.
If their numbers are large, they can cause the entire jade plant to die. It should be noted that the substances secreted by scale insects themselves can sometimes also trigger sooty mold, which is a rather dangerous disease.
Scale insects cause a lot of harm, but dealing with them is relatively simple. What we usually need to do is frequently observe the leaves of the jade plant to see whether scale insects are growing on the leaves. If there are, use some tools to brush them off the leaves, then spray on an insecticide or insect repellent.
III. Little Tips for Pest Prevention and Control
In addition, here are a few little tips for everyone.
The first method is to use garlic. Garlic can sterilize and also kill insects. Crush garlic cloves, add some water to dilute, then spray it on the leaves of the jade plant to kill insects as well.
The second is that we can use our everyday item soap to kill insects, which is also a very useful pest-killing method.