SO I bought this soap it says its "Eco-Friendly"... I have those tiny white mealy bugs in the bark of my orchid....I just wanted to make sure I can spray this "naturally derived" lemon-verbena scent soap on my plants!! thanks!!
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SO I bought this soap it says its "Eco-Friendly"... I have those tiny white mealy bugs in the bark of my orchid....I just wanted to make sure I can spray this "naturally derived" lemon-verbena scent soap on my plants!! thanks!!
I would say it's probably quite safe - one can spray or soak orchids in regular dishwashing detergent as long as it is properly diluted. Two cautions - 1) don't spray the leaves and put it anywhere in direct light - sunburn, etc., and 2) good luck getting rid of mealybugs with anything eco-friendly! I tried everything, incuding rubbing alcohol, finally ended up with a chemical insecticide, and once the mealybugs finally succumbed, the plant had, too. I tossed it just in case there were any of those nasty things still left - it's the only mealybug-infestation I have ever had, and I'm not looking forward to any other ones - they're pretty awful, so don't play around too much. One of your best bets might be to unpot the plant(s), soak them for an hour or so in a dilution of detergent and insecticide, then repot them in new media. As long as you don't have any bloooms or buds on them, soak the whole plant - those things hide under everything. You may still end up having to toss the infected ones - it's not worth subjecting your other orchids to potential infestation. Oh, and I'd think that if you see mealybugs n the bark, they're already hiding in their favorite places on the plant as well.
I sympathize. Good luck!
are they almost microscopic? cuz they are almost hard to see
They can start out microscopic, but as they colonize and feed, they start to look like little bits of white cotton fluff. Are they white?
I've only had one infestation that I luckily caught early before I would up with my 32 plants. I diligently, multiple times a day, inspected my plant and attacked any I found with a cotton swab soacked in alchol. I eventually won the battle by removing 2 - 3 creepies a day. If your infestation is not bad you may still be able to win the war.
Miller
its not a crazy infestation i see a couple here and there...so your saying I can use a cotton swab with alcohol and dab it and they will die?
I used it to dab and remove. Several times a day I would take a Q-tip dipped in alcohol and inspect the plant removing any I found. I got rid of them all and have not seen any since. This was late last year, so far so good!
Good luck
I'm having a hard time with mealy bugs too ,tried eco friendly insecticidal soap which didn't really work neither has alcohol it will kill the bugs but some how turn up after awhile. I am now trying neem oil ,let's hope this works.
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Mealy bugs can populate the root system, as well as the leaves. Unless you can soak the roots and potting medium as well - something I wouldn't do with any oil - you won't win the battle.
Given the size it doesn't sound like mealies. When I was younger I could see spider mites with the naked eye. Perhaps that is what the problem is?