Root mealies

DustBunny · Post by **DustBunny** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 1:23 am

I just discovered root mealies on my A. schooneesii. Where the heck did these nasty little bugger come from in the middle of winter?

There were only a few mealies on there and a plucked and smashed them. I washed the plant with soapy water.

This is what it looks like now...

It's roots dont look great right now. If I let it dry and heal up can I use a systematic in a week or two?

If I cant use a sytematic and chances are good they would spread, can I take cuttings somehow and toss the roots? Or would it be better to toss the whole plant?

Post by **daiv** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:37 am

I forget where you are located. If it is spring or summer where you are and it was a cactus, then systemic would be the way to go.

The key there is if the plant is not taking in nutrients, it isn't going to take in added chemicals either.

But I am not sure with these non-cactus.

iann · Post by **iann** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:44 pm

Root mealies are slow. If there is more than one or two then they've been there for months.

A. schooneesii is, more or less, a winter grower and can be treated with a systemic at this time. If it is the middle of summer for you then you're still OK since it is bare-root anyway. Give it a few days, soak in some diluted insecticide, and then repot.