I’m not sure how expert this is, but I felt empowered and more confident after pondering which wrong move to globally address in my herd. I have felt really lost after mealy bugs revealed themselves during my mass bottom watering endeavors last month. One quick advice: do not use anything white in your soil mix. It is so hard to determine what is sand wool old fertilizer beads pearlite Pumice dust Astrophytum skin etc. Mealies feed on sap, so any plant that produces that is at risk. My Echinopsis and Mammillaria and almost everything that isn’t Lithops or other “closed pores” plants (I just made up that term) are at risk For example, you know it’s a bug if it leaves oily residue on your fingers. HOWEVER, a piece of pearlite that has touched Neem oil looks identical. I also tapped the top of my shelf and noted tiny white dust that, when on top of a plant, looks like eggs. After a month, I decided the only way to deal is to dig it all up and remove anything white in the roots. This pair exploded with growth late 2022, but stalled all summer. Back to scrubbing.
