White spots on my pencil cactus?

Discussion in 'Cacti and Succulents' started by Kyrstie Misterka, Oct 1, 2017.

  1. Kyrstie Misterka

    Kyrstie Misterka New Member

    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    North Alabama
    Help! I have these white spots on my pencil cactus. Anyone know why? I am located in North Alabama, USA.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

    Messages:
    3,511
    Likes Received:
    235
    Location:
    sw USA
    It might be mealybugs. Look close, with a magnifying glass if you have one, and see if you find tiny fuzzy bugs.
     
  3. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    11,053
    Likes Received:
    2,385
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    Or spray them with alcohol and see if there are little tan bodies left behind.
     
  4. Kyrstie Misterka

    Kyrstie Misterka New Member

    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    North Alabama
    Ok I’ll try the alcohol and see. Spray it with 100% alcohol? I don’t want it to die.
     
  5. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    11,053
    Likes Received:
    2,385
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    Well, nothing I've ever read says to do that, but you can buy it in spray bottles (select the cheapest alcohol you can find) and that's what I have always done, on a few different types of plants. It's of course cheaper to dilute the alcohol and probably as effective. Or you can wet a Q-tip with alcohol and dab them. I'm not very patient with them and just grab the bottle and go at everything that looks anything like a mealy bug.

    My infected plant has a lot of leaves in several layers with a lot of places for them to hide, so I just manage to keep them sparce but not eradicated. If you can manage to remember to do it every few days for a few weeks, you might catch them all before they reproduce.
     

Share This Page