For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."
how to deal with mealybugs
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I don't know about you, but it seems like my houseplants keep attracting tiny pests every few weeks this winter. (It happens due to dry and warm indoor air, reduced light, and lack of natural predators, all of which accelerate aphid reproduction and take a toll on plants.) I found a handful of aphids on my indoor citrus trees earlier this week, so I moved them all outside to blast them with water and let them enjoy the breeze. For good measure, I also applied an organic insecticide to (hopefully) keep the aphids from coming back. Once in a while I also find a few mealybugs on my tropical plants, but so far so good this season. Mealybugs are one of the most common pests on indoor (and outdoor) plants, and they're particularly drawn to citrus, palms, orchids, cacti and succulents, alocasias, philodendrons, crotons—all the tropicals we love to grow. A severe infestation of mealybugs is not only disgusting (all that powdery sticky residue!), it can be destructive as well. And mealybugs sometimes reproduce in the roots of your plants, meaning you won't notice the damage until it's almost too late. If you're battling these persistent pests, I just wrote a guide to help you get rid of them (and keep them away).
Mealybugs have a few lookalikes, and these methods will help you deal with those too! Seasonal TipsP.S. If you're struggling with mealybugs on your plants, here's how you can get them under control. P.P.S. I just updated my Shop page with all the garden tools and supplies that I rely on year after year. So if you need suggestions for things that will actually last and have been put to the test, have a look! |
Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."