These are my coworkers succulents, we have 3 windows in our office, tons of succulents in each and this window/tray is the only one that has this stuff on the succulents. Is it mold? Is there a way to get rid of it? Or are they kind of done for? Any input appreciated thank you!
by WittiestGhost
22 Comments
Looks like a TERRIBLE mealybug infestation. I’d throw the plants out, unless it’s sentimental.
Insane amount of mealy bugs, if you want to save them give all of them a bath. Isopropyl alcohol. Insecticidal soap. Jesus christ there’s so many 😭
I recommend nailing these with Lost Coast Plant Therapy:Plant Wash if you plan on keeping them. Possibly a full dunk and soil soak.
I’m sorry, but I can’t get over how ironic it is that this planter is decorated with what appears to be little tombstones, lol. Perhaps those were a bad omen.
If I were you, I’d throw them out before the bugs infest every potted plant in the place. That has happened to me and it SUCKS. They destroy plants.
I’m not sure how to edit the original post, but thank you all for your input! They decided to throw it all away as the white stuff was all over everything (even on the windowsill) it seems like they got the bad luck of the draw since all of our succulents came in the same bunch, and they ended up with the one with the infestation? Either way they ask that they do t be judged too harshly cause we’re all very new to this plant life thing 🤣
Eta I posted pictures of the rest of our succulents in response to a comment below to show proof of the bad luck lol
Mine became outside plants when that happened because I live in a temperate climate and could do so. And the spiders ate them all up!
Bin or napalm
The irony of the headstones lol. That’s gotta be the worst case of mealy bugs I’ve ever seen, it looks like cobwebs!!
As to how to get rid of it…. You have a dumpster out back, right?
Always have neem oil to spray in the future, to avoid this happening again.
It’s not your fault for them to show up. It is your fault when they go this far! 🙂
Burn the whole house down
A really bad mealybug infestation. Alcohol and a q-tip for at least a month, you have to be vigilant.
You can also cut the tops off and that gets a lot of the work done. Even after that, continue with alcohol and q-tips to wipe them off.
Burn…
Spray the daylight out of them with isopropyl alcohol. Repeat until death and destruction is complete.
If you can, spray these off with the kitchen sink sprayer before any other treatment. Makes the alcohol have to do a lot less work.
This is a mealy bug nightmare !!! Isolate it from any other plants . Spray with an alcohol/sulphur based spray and wipe crannies in between the leaf axils with ear buds . Repeat process daily and hope .
My plant looked like this, and now it’s fine. I used a small amount of rubbing alcohol on just the bugs. It kills them on contact.
I just treated my mealy bug infested plant for the 3rd week with systemics – but nowhere near this bad. I can’t really tell if they’re all dead/gone. How will I know? The plants look better, but we just got rain and they always look happier after a good shower.
Make sure to use a diluted spray mixture or you might kill your plant if the amount is too much: 1 small drop of soap, 2 very small tea spoons of sodium bicarbonate and 1-2 liters of water