Grrrr...mealybugs/dormancy

[SpyCspider]

Hi,

I've been trying to treat 3 of my pitcher plants heavily infested with mealybugs to no avail. Started off with using Safer Brand 3-in-1 Garden Spray that contains mostly sulfur-- didn't work. Then tried using isopropyl alcohol 70% dabbed with cotton swabs all over the plants--that was a good waste of 2 hrs. Now my pitchers are starting to wilt and brown and I just decided to submerge all 3 under water in a bucket. I had no idea they were all over the roots too. The mealies are floating to the water surface..hopefully in pain.

Since I'm going to put these guys in the fridge for dormany anyway, should I even bother trying to treat them? I was thinking about submerging them a day or so, cutting off all the pitchers, and then dusting sulfur dust on the rhizomes before bagging them up and putting them in the fridge for 3 months. What do yall think? Thanks.

Johnny

P.S. The mealies were being farmed by stupid ants.

 

[cp-connection]

My experience with sulfur is a bad one. I tried dropping some granular in each pot during the summer. It takes a few weeks to break down before it starts hurting the plants. Submerging a plant doesn't kill mealy bugs either. They will survive indefinitely in little air pockets. If you're bare-rooting them for the fridge anyway you can rinse the rhizomes with high pressure water. A few of the tiniest holes drilled in a garden hose cap is best. The mealy bugs will be under the rhizome and in the little v-shaped spot where the leaf attaches.

 

[Lil Stinkpot]

I have had success with Sevin. I don't know if it's systemic or will get the mealys under the soil.


Please don't tell me it was just beginner's luck with a really bad idea.

 

[SpyCspider]

yea i figure i'd rinse them all off.

What about for fungal protection during dormancy though? No sulfur dust?

 

[cp-connection]

I only have experience with copious amounts of sulfur during active growth in the high 90's F every day. Don't let me scare you away if you've had good experience with it.

 

[8abug4fun]

try Azamax. its organic(supposedly) & not harmful to beneficial insects. It does not kill on contact but disrupts the pests feeding/digestion. and you can soak the soil medium/roots with it. i've used it on my Sarrs & Neps & its ben very effective though you will probably need to do several treatments. good luck.

 

[SpyCspider]

alright, thanks for the responses everyone. I just cut off all the pitchers and rinsed off all the roots and white spots I could find on the rhizomes. Then I semi-dried them and dusted them with a generous amount of sulfur. They're in the fridge now for the next 3 months. We shall see.

Johnny