Elizabeth wrote: ↑Sat Aug 27, 2022 2:30 pm
In my experience, mealies seem very fond of hairy Echinopsis buds. I keep a very careful eye on them.
How true those words
Add to them ... seed pods .... roots .... body ............
Endeavouring to grow Aylostera, Echinocereus, Echinopsis, Gymnocalycium, Matucana, Rebutia, and Sulcorebutia. Fallen out of love with Lithops and aggravated by Aeoniums.
Currently being wooed by Haworthia, attempting hybridisation, and enticed by Mesembs.
Elizabeth wrote: ↑Sat Aug 27, 2022 2:30 pm
In my experience, mealies seem very fond of hairy Echinopsis buds. I keep a very careful eye on them.
How true those words
Add to them ... seed pods .... roots .... body ............
^^^^ 100% agree and would put Echinocereus in a close second place.
In my GH ... it's Echinopsis followed by Aeonium. Echinocereus don't seem to get so much attention
Endeavouring to grow Aylostera, Echinocereus, Echinopsis, Gymnocalycium, Matucana, Rebutia, and Sulcorebutia. Fallen out of love with Lithops and aggravated by Aeoniums.
Currently being wooed by Haworthia, attempting hybridisation, and enticed by Mesembs.
habanerocat wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 1:12 pm
Other than Lophophora's they don't seem to be too choosy.
I wonder .... danger of having a trip?
Endeavouring to grow Aylostera, Echinocereus, Echinopsis, Gymnocalycium, Matucana, Rebutia, and Sulcorebutia. Fallen out of love with Lithops and aggravated by Aeoniums.
Currently being wooed by Haworthia, attempting hybridisation, and enticed by Mesembs.
Hi
So I've been lucky so far but this year I've had four plants start infections of mealy bugs. I've treated the plants. This was all on plants I bought in several years ago and that were clean and quarantined when I bought them. So I suspect a similar thing- very long dormancy of eggs. I have several other small growing areas including my seed growing area and these are free. Free from any mites as well so far!
So I've no confidence in the available pesticides but I'm giving them a go- if these don't deal with the problem I will discard the plants. But if I save seed, from one of the infected plant, if there a standard way to clean the seed?
I purchased a Melocactus earlier this year from Dobbies. Thoroughly checked it and appeared clean no sign of mealy. It lives in our bedroom with all the other Melos and gets looked at daily. Yesterday I had a look and found it covered in tiny mealy bugs. They must have hatched out in recent days after hiding below the eye line in the substrate. Not good but dealt with. I was due to give a talk at one of our local garden centres however during a recent visit to see the cacti and succulents being offered for sale and the state of them I decided I do not want to be associated. It seems the reduced staff numbers have no idea how to look after them. Many of the plants on sale are the same plants I saw for sale back in March so it appears not many being sold. Low light levels and the heat has produced the wrong type of growth and I noticed a lot of mealy bugs and a couple of stink bugs! Sad.
Anyway good old meths and bug clear has sorted out my Melo.