Aya Posted December 19, 2011 It has been quite some time since I last wrote something here or even dropped by, but am still indeed planting and growing away, and I have a question regarding my lophs which have been battling against something for the past year (at least) now. So, there seems to be something attacking the lophs from the base up, that is the flesh just above where the roots start, and slowly making there way up. What happens is that the affected part becomes shriveled up and turns to first a yellowish colour and then a burnt umber. This is a very slow process and has been affecting one of my lophs for 2 years, and a few years back it even wiped out an entire group of seedlings. I tried using sulphur powder a few years back which didn't appear to have any effect, and more recently I tried a natural soap based product like that which you might use on aphids, again, apparently to no effect. A few thoughts. Could this be environment related? Meaning size of pot, direct sun/shade ratio, soil type etc, or something along those lines? - Just so it's clear, the soil is a mixture of sand and potting mix, quite well draining and only watered in the summer once or twice every 2 weeks. Never dehydrated though (at least not much or for long if so). Fertilised and occasional seasol. So I'm quite baffled as to what it is, thus if anyone has any ideas or has had experience with what's going on with my cacti, I'd love to hear from you. I think I'm going to take them out of their pots tomorrow and see how the roots are doing, so if I see anything out of the ordinary, I'll mention it tomorrow. Hope all is well people, Aya Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.dg Posted December 19, 2011 pictures would be helpful Lophs are easily scarred by mites(which require multiple applications of pesticide to rid of) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evil Genius Posted December 19, 2011 Yeah, my first guess would also be spidermites so pics would be extremely helpful. bye Eg Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zelly Posted December 19, 2011 Aya- With this crowd, you're going to have to accept the fact it's either spider mites or the associated 'corking' damage that follows an infestation of red spider mites. At least two other people have previously posted similar situations going on with their lophs. Until a grower / hobbyist personally experiences that which you describe, at best all they can do is guess. I've seen a very similar thing as you describe with some of my lophs and a few of the ario's, & I can categorically say it's not an insect based aliment. Some things that I've found that really helps is smother the affected areas with DE, and leave the DE in place several days, then clean off using an old toothbrush. That & re-pot with completely new soil. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aya Posted December 20, 2011 Well, after taking this photo I believe also that it's spider mites. So then, what's the best way to get rid of them? As I said before, I tried a few times covering the lophs with a soapy solution (Yates insect and mite killer - natrasoap) which apparently didn't do too much as they are still here (could have recolonised however - or perhaps I didn't do enough applications/at the wrong intervals). Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Zelly - what is this DE you speak of? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Psylocke Posted December 20, 2011 Diatomaceous earth, it kills pest by grinding them up! Completely non-toxic for humans as it isnt a chemical pesticide. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aya Posted December 20, 2011 Wow, just read up on it. Sounds like one hell of a substance. Commonly found at nurseries? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.dg Posted December 20, 2011 Well, after taking this photo I believe also that it's spider mites. So then, what's the best way to get rid of them? As I said before, I tried a few times covering the lophs with a soapy solution (Yates insect and mite killer - natrasoap) which apparently didn't do too much as they are still here (could have recolonised however - or perhaps I didn't do enough applications/at the wrong intervals). Your advice would be greatly appreciated. get a magnifying glass to id your pest before applying pesticide if you do indeed have mites, you'll want to spray 3-4 times over a 10 day period be sure the solution is at least room temp be careful spraying soaps or oils when the plant will be in the sun, i've seen some bad (sun)burn w/oils Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zelly Posted December 20, 2011 DE is most commonly found at swimming pool supplies distributors & or big box type stores like home de-pot. It should be noted that pool grade DE has been heat and chemically treated and will poison an animal or human who ingests it. Look for food grade DE wherever possible. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aya Posted December 20, 2011 Thanks for all your advice guys. I'm going to do a few applications of natrasoap over the next 2 weeks, give it a month or so and then see if I can spot them. Or I simply may repeat the process just to be sure. And if I can find some DE, then I'll grab some of that also. Thanks again everyone. p.s. Also if anyone thinks otherwise or has some thoughts regarding the photo, feel free to share. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
