help 😠my favorite plant (porcelain hoya) is COVERED in mealy bugs.
help 😠my favorite plant (porcelain hoya) is COVERED in mealy bugs.
Don't panic. I just went through that with a curly orchid cactus. Take a Q-tip and some alcohol and get all the ones you can. I'd also fill up a bucket or a stock pot with some soapy water and a little bit of alcohol in it and dunk it. Then pour one part hydrogen peroxide to three parts water through the soil until it comes out the bottom. Put it in quarantine and keep an eye out for more mealy bugs. If you see any, just get that Q-tip with alcohol. This is how bad my plant had them and she looks fine now.Gross, right? Oh and get out a magnifying glass and take a really close look at any plant that was near it. I actually have four in quarantine now because they just looked iffy.
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Taking a close look at the area that it was in, it wouldn't hurt to wash down all those pots and even the windowsill. I'm finding mealy bugs can get everywhere.
3 LikesI second what deb shared! they like to live in the nooks and crannies so I went through vine by vine and cleaned them with a q tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol. might take a couple rounds of this but you’ll get rid of them eventually!
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They are obnoxious. I think the secret is definitely the hydrogen peroxide and water mix in the soil. They like to hide in there.
0 LikesRemember to recheck it in a week or so. Mealybugs quickly spreads. I dunked my Hoya Krimson Queen in Dawn dishwater. So far, so good.
1 LikeThe soil gets saturated with the Dawn too?
1 LikeYes, the soil gets saturated. That’s where the mealybugs lay their eggs. Dawn is a gentle insecticidal soap.
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