got bugs?

[goodude]

hello people. noticed a few really little bugs on a loph lateley. they are tiny little white or red creatures. they move fairly fast so they def alive. i cant see any damage to the plant but im still worried. its a 6 week old graft so maybe its still a lil delicate n supceptible to insectisides. what should i do?

[Jox]

Sounds like you might have mites, are you able to snap a photo of one of the little buggers?

Cheers

Jox

[Hellonasty]

Yep sounds like the beginning of the dreaded red mite. These buggers will kill your Loph if you're not careful, post a pic and start treatment immediately. They also cause horrible scarring that remains with the plants for years.

[goodude]

ive got some white oil in the cupboard. works on mites but will it hurt my loph?

[goodude]

bit tricky to get a photo their not always visible. ill keep trying.

[AndyAmine.]

No, dont use any oil based sprays on your cacti, it will burn them and make things much worse.

The good thing about cacti is that they have tough skin and easy to reach surfaces unlike a plant with lots of foliage and branches so you can give them a spray with slightly soapy water and wipe them down with some disposable kitchen towel to get the majority of the suckers, then follow up with a spray containing Lime/Sulfur and a little soap once every week or two and hopefully you'll get ontop of them.

The problem with mites is that they are resistant to most products on the market, so its best to alternate between a few methods for a few cycles just to make sure, otherwise you'll just make them stronger, meaner.

Always use pure soap flakes or similar, not regular washing soap/liquid which is full of other junk.
Ive read that plain Dawn fluid is OK though.

Im currently dealing with mites as well and the above is what I have done so far, Im going to hit them up with something systemic next if it doesnt break the cycle.

Edited August 27, 2013 by AndyAmine.

[goodude]

right. cheers andy. with the lime sulphur spray, can i buy it or something similar ready mixed? or do i have to get some lime and some sulphur n mix them with water?

[whoami]

if you mix a bit of ash in water and spray it on that can also help, not sure how that will work on cactus but could be worth a shot

[Evil Genius]

Spray them with Methanol or Spiritus. Its better than most pesticides as they are resistant to a whole lot of things. Would also try sulphur and having them in a very moist enviroment helps as well. They dont take water very well. But its hard to get rid of them once they are there.

[AndyAmine.]

Spidermite, auughh... they are like herpes for your garden.

EG, what dilution rate are you using with the Methylated spirits?
I imagine it would burn cacti skin unless it was strongly diluted?

Do you wash it off or leave it to dry?

Edited August 27, 2013 by AndyAmine.

[Evil Genius]

EG, what dilution rate are you using with the Methylated spirits?
I imagine it would burn cacti skin unless it was strongly diluted?

Pure, indiluted. But i always make sure not to give them full sunlight for a day or so. I know it sounds hardcore but i Never ever had it damaging the skin.

[Scrubby]

Has anyone considered or actually used other "bugs" to control mites? I've worked in the vineyard/winery industry for 15+ years and alot of growers actually adore the sight of ladybugs/ladybirds, redback spiders, wasps (not European) and the prey mantis just to name a few... They tend to keep populations of mites & mealy bugs under some sort of control. I think as an option to exposing your plants to chemicals its worth having a look at.

I personally like to maintain a healthy population of redbacks around my plant collection and have never had any major problems with bugs.

Something to think about guys

I will now retreat to my corner of noobness

[whoami]

ash yea I worked on a rose farm for a while and there we used thrips to control red spidermite. I dunno if its economically viable to do at home though, they used to get in buckets and buckets of live thrip at a time and wed have to go around sprinkling them among the hrdges

[Scrubby]

Its not viable at home but encouraging beneficial bugs to make a home in your garden might help control future infestations.

[AndyAmine.]

Yeah I reckon the closest you can come in your own garden is companion planting.
You may start a population with a few releases but the odds are against you.

[Hellonasty]

No, dont use any oil based sprays on your cacti, it will burn them and make things much worse.

Hey Andy and Everyone,

All I can go on is my experience growing cacti and more specifically lophs. I find oils are fine to use on Lophs and all cacti in my opinion, it does not cause any problems whatsoever. What you don't want is aerosol spray on oil as the propellant will burn the skin of your plants. Also to reduce any chance of damage don't use oil when the sun is very hot this can cause sun damage and don't apply multiple applications in a short period.

I use oils regularly to control Scale and Mealie bugs and it works well.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Hellonasty

[AndyAmine.]

Thank you for the advice Hellonasty,

I have read a few threads here over the years that have suggested staying away from white oil and cacti but its hard to beat personal experience.

I believe it was said that among other things it clogged up the cacti's stomata and broke down the waxy surface layer.

I tried it and it burned my cacti, I can only assume I must have used an aerosol so Ill give it another test.

[.dg]

i've also used oils many times w/o trouble.

i'd move them to the shade- or put up shade cloth so the sun didn't burn them

after seeing others' troubles w/oils i typically dont recommend them anymore

[Hellonasty]

Thank you for the advice Hellonasty,

I have read a few threads here over the years that have suggested staying away from white oil and cacti but its hard to beat personal experience.

I believe it was said that among other things it clogged up the cacti's stomata and broke down the waxy surface layer.

I tried it and it burned my cacti, I can only assume I must have used an aerosol so Ill give it another test.

Andy,

Yes I have heard similar to what you said, in that the oil can effectively suffocate the plant by blocking oxygen exchange. As I said above I've never had this happen, however I err on the side of caution and mix my oils up weak and usually with a fungicide.