So once again I've noticed millipedes in my dracaena. I want to get rid of them for good and need to know how to go about it. What would you guys recommend? I've read about chemicals, should I go this route? Drowning the plant for several hours to kill the bugs? Can boric powder be sprinkled on the soil? -Kris
Suggest repotting in soil that you KNOW is millipede-free. If you must re-use the pot, sterilize it before doing so. Millipedes are arthropods, distant relatives of lobsters and shrimp. (Class Diplopoda). Fascinating, eh? This knowledge does nothing to decrease the 'YECCH!' factor upon finding them writhing in your Dracaena, I know. Fortunately, they will likely damage your sensibilities more than they will the plant. I view chemical intervention as a last resort. Try fresh soil and see how that goes.
Thanks for the response togata. I tried that previously with another dracaena and lost the plant, really sad to see it go. I changed out all the soil and washed out the roots, etc. I've been reading and I've read you can soak the pot for hours in water to drown everything in the pot. I just came across something that said they can't live more than a day or two without moisture. What if I dried out the soil? Would that kill them? How could I dry out the soil, if possible to make the process faster?
Well, if you dried out the soil to a millipede-killing level...you could kill the plant as well. Your previous plant may have had other additional issues happening---could have succumbed to effects of various stresses. Yes, I have tried the submerge-and-drown technique, and it works pretty well for pillbugs. Am assuming that your plant has acquired its unwanted tenants while outdoors for the summer...is this the case? As it seems to be a recurring problem, perhaps preventing it before it happens again would be a good idea. Where are these leggy critters living before moving to Dracaena Manor?
