By the end of the summer, the previously abundant and beautiful container plants I started this spring look as hot and tired as I feel. If we are being honest, once the temperature stays over 90 degrees, my plants get neglected making them much more susceptible to pests!
I Spy Pests
When I finally emerged from the air conditioning at the end of August, I found that several plants in my container garden were infested with mealybugs. These soft-bodied insects feed on plant sap and excrete a sugary substance called honey dew. Black sooty mold grows on the honeydew making even more of a mess. Mealybugs can reproduce rapidly and can be quite difficult to manage. One of the best tools we have available to manage them are horticultural oils, but when temperatures are over 85 degrees Fahrenheit, they cannot be used without risk of plant damage.
Clean Up to Reduce Pests
Since it was the end of the season for the afflicted plants I pulled them out and threw them away instead of treating them with insecticide or oils. If I had stopped there and just replaced them with new plants, the chances of the new plants getting infested were just about guaranteed. As much as it pained my thrifty heart, I dumped out the potting soil and set to cleaning the pots thoroughly. I found ovisacs (egg sacs) of the next generation of mealybugs under the lip of the pot edge, in the grooves on the decorative sides, and on the bottom of the pots. These structures were firmly attached and coated with a waxy substance meant to protect the eggs from predators and drying out.
I used several methods to clean the pots including high-pressure water, household cleaners, and a scrub brush. When cleaning, I was careful to direct the hose away from desirable plants – my goal was not to relocate to another plant! Since household cleaners can also damage plants, I was also careful to do my washing in a weedy area where a few damaged plants is acceptable. The containers were set out to dry in the sunlight before being reused. This thorough cleaning process not only eliminated mealybugs but will combat against pathogens I cannot see.
Although pests finding my plants is inevitable, starting fresh with clean equipment and fresh potting soil will get my Fall garden off to a strong start!
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