Christmas cactus , Schlumbergeraspp . , is an umbrella termfor species and hybridsofepiphytictropical plant that arise on trees and rock , under the canopy of South American rainforests .
As houseplant , they are gentle to care for , andcan be manipulated to bloomeach class at a fussy time , for many enjoyable vacation time of year .
Ourguide to growing Christmas cactusbroadly talk about all you require to acknowledge for successful cultivation .
Photo via Alamy.
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In this clause , we acquaint seven pests rough-cut to Christmas cactus and how to manage them .
Here ’s the batting order :
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7 Common Christmas Cactus Pests
Insects object leafage to satisfy their needs for nourishment and shelter .
Let ’s recover out which ones may spell trouble for your plant .
A sizable holiday cactus is the least susceptible to pests .
When you provide a localization with collateral sunlight , a pot full of organically rich , well - draining potting medium , and water only when the top one to two in of the soil find juiceless , your troubles should be few .
However , bugs are prone to sour up nonetheless .
Sometimes , even with the best care , a short - quality potting medium harbors insect larvae .
Or pest may buck a ride indoors on people and pets , plant that summer outdoors , or a breeze passing through an open door or window .
Let ’s fulfil seven vernacular pests . They are not harmful to homo , but all may destroy foliage in the event of a spartan , unchecked infestation .
1. Aphids
Aphids , Aphidoideaspp . , are soft - bodied , sap - sucking bugs that come in from outside . There are numerous species in an array of colour let in yellow , green , pinkish , black , and browned .
They care a great mass of juicy foliage to jaw , so cacti that are comfortably moist and well - nourished are prime target , making this pesterer heavily to quash .
Live - borne nymph , and both winged and non - winged adults , feed on foliar tissue paper , make yellowing and disfigurement .
Sticky excretions call honeydew curb photosynthesis , and create a bringing up ground for a telephone number of fungal diseases referred to together with assooty mould .
There domain variety of manner to handle aphid .
First , take the cactus to the kitchen sink and wash it with a steady stream of water from the spray beak .
Wash as many aphids as you may down the drain .
Place a sticky gob near the pot , and/or a bowl of soapsuds made with one or two dip of dish detergent per two cups of water system , to attract and catch flight aphids .
For persistent pests , spray the foliage with horticultural neem crude per package instructions . This is an organic insecticide , fungicide , and bactericide derived from evergreen neem seeds .
instead , you may use neem oil to drench the soil . This is cry a systemic approach path , in which the roots take the rock oil up into the foliage , where the aphids consume it and die off .
You may also spray the foliage with a houseplant ware that hold pyrethrins , an insecticidederived from chrysanthemum .
There are also chemical pesticide , such as imidacloprid , available for systemic role .
Personally , I ’d rather hurl off the holiday cactus than mess with chemical , however , as long as you use a mathematical product specifically formulated for indoor consumption , you may avoid the toxicity of the highly hard production used on outdoor crop .
2. Fungus Gnats
Fungus gnat , Lycoriellaspp . , survive in soil and other types of potting culture medium that are rich with dampness , decaying organic matter . Sometimes they are present at the time of potting .
Newly hatched larvae feed on root , and can cause stunting and wilt .
Adults flit aboutlike yield fly , institutionalize you looking for a rotten banana tree . They are abruptly - lived , eat very short , and do no hurt , but they create a pain and always seem to be in your face .
A close look at an affected plant may reveal slimy evidence of larvae having fawn over the top of the potting metier , and tiny gray - mordant fly linger over and around the pot and near sources of light .
In increase , the stem segment may begin to yellow .
With right drainage , the avoidance ofoverwatering , and the purpose of quality potting medium , outbreaks may be void .
The usance of awkward traps can serve with teasing adult flies .
commercial-grade remedies are targeted at the ballock , larvae , and pupae in the potting medium .
Beneficial nematodes , soil - bear nematode that feed on fungus gnat , are a safe treatment .
Another isfood - grade diatomaceous earth , a silica powder derived from the fossil of unmarried - celled alga called diatoms . It is unsufferable for fungus gnat larvae to creep through this powder without trauma .
excavate your cactus and gargle it , roots and all . lap the flower pot , and replant in new potting sensitive with the addition of either good nematodes or food - level diatomaceous earth for best results .
register more about controlling fungus gnat here .
3. Mealybugs
Mealybugs , Pseudococcidaespp . , travel easily from flora to plant , especially when they are come out in faithful proximity to one another , and there is an excess of available moisture .
Some type imbibe the sap from foliar tissue above the filth , while others prefer the origin .
They have a livid , muzzy appearance , and lie eggs in a mass that look like cotton wool frippery . fan of crocked spots , they are often seeable in the articulation of shank segment and crossway of convoluted roots .
An unchecked infestation may lead to yellow and wilting of leafage , and/or root destruction .
To address an outbreak , place your cactus in the kitchen sink and rinse off as many mealybugs as you’re able to with the nebuliser .
For those that persist , you may try wiping them off with a fray alcoholic beverage - saturate cotton clod . utilization caution , because rubbing too operose break tissue paper mobile phone . Rinse later .
You may spray neem crude oil or pyrethrins to address a obstinate infestation of the green fore segments .
If the antecedent are affected , you could do a neem oil or pyrethrin soil drench to defeat bug both below the soil and above .
And finally , you may utilize a chemical imidacloprid treatment at the territory level , as well .
If an plague has damage the roots beyond treatment , you may be able to regain several unaffectedstem section to propagate .
Mealybugs can be hard to get rid of . process all plants in proximity to the infested one , allow for ample air circulation to limit further feast and transfer , and do n’t overwater .
get hold more entropy on controlling mealybug here .
4. Red Spider Mites
Red wanderer mites , Tetranychus urticae , often arrive indoors on the backs of pets , place of people , or leaves of houseplant that have spent sentence outdoors .
Technically arachnids rather than insects , red spider mites are web - spinning , eight - legged bugs that face like tiny reddish - orange walking dots .
When they colonise , they appear as a the great unwashed of discoloration on the greenish stem segments of a Christmas cactus .
These sap - sucker favour teetotal and dusty berth , and do their worst damage to water - try foliage . Vulnerable flora may quickly give in to yellowing and wilting .
To rid a cactus of this plague , place it in the kitchen sink and utilize the sprayer schnozzle to dislodge as many mites as possible .
Foliar diligence of products that contain pyrethrins are in effect against some metal money of pinch , butnot inevitably against this one .
sporadically gargle plants , or pass over them gently with a dampish textile , to stave off debris buildup , and think back to piddle when the first one to two inches of potting medium are dry to the touch modality .
Read more about battle spider mite infestations .
5. Soft Brown Scale
Soft brown scale insects , Coccus hesperidum , expect like flattened , yellowish to dark-brown strikebreaker . They progress from immobile nymphs to fishing worm , but seldom to flying insects .
These pests favour indoor climate that are especially warm and dry . They suck sap and leave a track of honeydew that invite sooty mildew , potentially make wilting and the unfitness to absorb sun for photosynthesis .
At the first sign of embarrassing stem segment and brownish spots , try using your fingernail to gently dislodge the scale , or use a cotton swab saturated with rubbing alcohol . Be gentle , and gargle later on .
As the influx advance , there may be leaf yellow .
To treat an advanced infestation , spray the leafage with neem oil or a pyrethrin - containing product . Repeat foliar applications as needed . Systemic soil - level applications programme may be take as well , to free your plant life of this pest .
Treat all houseplant in the area to prevent the spread of this pest .
Find more crest on combating scale leaf infestations here .
6. Thrips
Some type of thrips , Thysanopteraspp . , are consideredbeneficial insectssince they wish to feed on other kinds of bugs in the garden .
Others feed on plant and make foliar damage , ensue in malformation as well as chickenhearted , papery , or silverish tissue paper . And some species feed on pollen and damage flowers .
Thrips may add up indoors onplants that have summered alfresco , or on any vegetation that enters your home . In other words , they may be present from daylight one , waiting to emerge .
thrip are more potential to infest foliation that is too wry .
As they evolve from the egg stage to get on , winged adults , their colors range from pale and yellowish to dark brown or opprobrious , although there are exceptions . You may also abide by frass , tiny black dots of insect excrement .
If you see these on your Christmas cactus , utilise the sprayer attachment on your kitchen sink to remove as many as you could . Apply neem oil or a pyrethrin - containing product to the leaf , or to the soil for a systemic treatment .
Read more about identifying and controlling thripid here .
7. Whiteflies
Whiteflies , Aleyrodidaespp . , are tiny fly that prey on industrial plant juices , and may first be noticed in the malefactor of a segmented stem . When disturbed , they countermand off into a little swarm of powdery white .
As adult and newly - hatched nymphs feed , they inhibit growth , and excrete honeydew that predisposes tissue to sooty mildew . As they go along , the stem segments may turn lily-livered and begin to expire off .
Give your cactus a bath in the cesspit with the nebulizer , and then adjust a chicken sticky trap or two nearby , and maybe a sudsy bowl of one to two drops of dish detergent mixed with two cupful of water .
With several foliar applications of neem oil or pyrethrin , you should be able-bodied to free your Christmas cactus of this pest , especially if you do by neighboring works as well .
For stubborn infestation , you may need to apply a product systemically at the soil level .
Read more about command whiteflies here .
Where to Buy Pest Management Products
First , a note of circumspection :
When purchasing products to manage the seven common pestilence described , chooseonlythose intended for use indoors . Consider baby and pet when prefer for non - constitutive chemical treatment .
When possible , treat plants outside in seasonal atmospheric condition , and countenance them to dry thoroughly before returning them to the theater .
Foliar sprays may require repeated applications .
Long - term employment of land drenches is monish , as it may adversely affect roots . If one or two app do n’t do the magic , you may have to discard a hard infested cactus .
Here are some utilitarian production to consider :
To catch vaporize sap - suckers , you may want to place a few pasty traps near an affected industrial plant .
Yellow Sticky Traps
find out aphid / whitefly scandalmongering muggy trapsfrom Arbico Organicsin parcel of five .
For fungus gnat larvae , an app of nutrient grade diatomaceous earth may be all you need . you may also use itat repotting timeas a preventative measuring rod .
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
Find diatomaceous earthfrom Harris via Amazonin 8 - ounce packages with an easygoing - app puffer tip .
Another option for sap - draw bugs is a foliar nebuliser of a pyrethrin - hold back intersection that may also be used as a soil drench .
Houseplant & Garden Insect Killer
Find houseplant and garden louse killerfrom Garden Safe via Amazon .
It ’s an organic product that do in a quick - to - economic consumption 24 - ounce bottleful in packages of one or four .
To treat dour sap - sucker , you may try horticultural rock oil as a foliar nebulizer or soil drench .
Bonide Neem Oil
determine Bonide neem oil nowvia Amazonin quick - to - spray bottles .
And at last , for severe sap - sucking pestilence outbreak , you may want to sample a houseplant product that contains the chemical pesticide imidacloprid in a recipe that is suit to indoor systemic manipulation at the land degree .
Systemic Houseplant Insect Control
Find Systemic Houseplant Insect Controlfrom Bonide via Amazonin 8 - oz. package of ready - to - use granule .
Choose one , two , or four packages per order .
Don’t Bug Me
credit and management are essential , as plebeian Christmas cactus pestilence like aphids , fungus gnat , mealybugs , red wanderer mites , soft brownish scale , thrips , and whitefly can cause problems ranging from scrubby increase , yellowing foliage , and wilting , to root damage and exposure to diseases like coal-black mold .
In addition , when a plant is infested , it may harbour sweet trails of excrement that attract even more pests , like pismire .
insect may also be vector , or carriers , of disease that may feign your cactus or other works in your home base .
If you give your houseplants a vacation outside , be sure to inspect them for pesterer , and apply neem oil to the foliage before bring them in for the winter .
With tone potting sensitive , collateral sunlight , and the avoidance of overcrowding and oversaturation , a Christmas cactus makes a comparatively trouble - liberal houseplant for years to come .
If you are concerned in learningmore about Christmas cactus attention , you ’ll want to read these pathfinder next :
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Nan Schiller
