Something on indoor Dracenea office plant

Not sure I'm spelling it right, but does anyone know what is on my boss' office plant?

Thanks for your help!

Mealy bugs it looks like. Nasty little creatures. Bonide makes a spray to combat them. Others can chime in with their advice too!

70 or 90 % rubbing alcohol as a spray will help. Azamax will kill them all. Gene

also make sure you get that away from any other plants and check them closely for those nasty critters.. Good Luck
Christine

Also, there are more than what you see. Many will be hiding in the soil.

The soil!! Well rats, I've been watching this thread since I found a mealy bug on a plant, too. I killed it with alcohol on a Q-tip and inspected it and nearby plants really closely to make sure there weren't others visible. If I spray the soil with the rubbing alcohol formula, will that kill the ones in the soil? How often would I spray the plant to make sure they are gone? Thanks for your expertise and for being so helpful!

I have heard of people sitting the entire pot into a bucket of alcohol for a day or so. Kinda extreme. Azamax has taken care of all my pests, does nor cost much, does not stink up the house, organic and safe around bees and pets. Gene

Yikes Gene, I cant imagine letting a plant sit in alcohol for a day or so, " that is kinda extreme" and to me that would be worse than the mealy bugs. I say throw it away and buy a new one that is bug free. Buy your boss a new plant and make some brownie points as the same time.....
Christine

Thanks, Gene, I'll go find some Azamax.

I get mine from Amazon, 4 oz bottle of concentrate. Of course I have over 1300 house plants with no bugs and I want to keep it that way. They do have a single use spray bottle available as well. Never in my wildest dreams would I have bet that I would have no bugs at some point. Gene

Congratulations!! No bugs and 1300 house plants - that is amazing!!!! What are your favorite plants? Or are you an equal opportunity plantiphile?

I just bought a bunch of plants and brought a bug home with the plant. I have decided to make sure to get rid of the bugs and then quit buying plants for a while. I will just propagate them from existing plants.

My downfall was buying a book called Succulent Container Gardens by Debra Lee Baldwin. Once I saw her stuff I was a goner. It's super inspiring. I just went from a steady state of about 20 plants to 120 plants...and it's all her fault...hee hee... :-)

I have no Ferns, no Orchids. Lots of succulents. Sansv. probably my favorite. I have over 60 species of Sansv.. Gene

This message was edited Jun 10, 2013 4:18 PM

I am starting a Sansevieria from a cutting for the first time. If it works...woo hoo!! It's the one with the cylindrical stem. Often it is potted with three stems, all pointing slightly outward. To me it looks like a court jester's cap.

I have the same problem with a dracaena that I've had for 10 years. Constantly checking it. I use the 'ol alcohol soaked Q-Tip trick, along with moving it outside and giving it a shower. What I haven't done is treat the soil with anything. - which is why they probably keep returning. I'll have to try out the Azamax.