White crud on tiger lilies

I hope this is the right forum for my problem. There is think white stuff on my Tiger lilies. They are in a separate little garden with some other plants, and the crud doesn't seem to be affecting any of the other plants -- yet. I just noticed it today, but before I start blindly treating, I'd like some advice please. It kinda looks like white spit.

Here are the things I have: Neem oil mixed with hot pepper juice, diatomaceous earth, Murphy's oil soap with baking soda. I'm thinking of getting Dipel dust, but haven't yet.

Thanks so much,
Suny

Correction: I just noticed it's on some of the bloom stems of my hostas that are in the same bed. Also, when I was taking the pictures, I saw a number of spider webs and one spider, about the diameter of a nickle -

Spiders are good. Do not kill spiders, they are predators, helping to control certain garden pests.

I think the white stuff is one of the pests that makes that white waxy stuff as protection. Very hard to kill a pest when the spray won't stick to them!

Probably Mealy Bug.

Thank you Diana - So do you know what can be done about mealy bugs? Or shout out to anyone at DG who may have a clue.

Thanks and Have a Grateful Day,
Suny

just mix up some warm soapy water, preferably castile soap but any dish detergent will work and spray the plants over and under being careful not to spray in the heat of the day or when bees are present. you may have to do this every week until they are gone. alcohol and water also works but i'm partial to castile soap.

Thank you Trackinsand. I have some castile soap ordered. My gardening buddy uses Murphy's oil soap, but I have never used it, and not sure. Have you heard of this as use for spray? He mixes with a little baking soda, vegetable oil and water.

I told him about Neem oil, and I think he has started using that.

yes, i've heard of it. the thing is, murphy's and even neem are true oily substances and the risk of burning your plants is much greater. i do use neem when an occasion calls for it but truthfully, i rely almost completely on castile soap now.
i don't know how it's made but it is made up of oils but isn't oily.
castile soap will kill any and all insects as a contact spray. do not spray on bees or beneficials. once the spraying is finished, it is completely harmless (which is why i love it so much).

i use dr. bronner's and it comes in so many great scents. i use the lavender a lot because it also deters squirrels and armadillos.

I don't know what they are but they have been building up over the years. Here is what I have on so many plants lately. (not a mealy bug) Thought it was a wooly aphid but I don't think it is.

I have these on many plants including lilies, hydrangeas, solanums, and several other plants.

I sprayed with Bayer Complete Insect Killer yesterday (24 hour contact, 3 months in the ground) and most are gone but some are still here that I must've missed. Here are some photos from this morning. Number 1, 2, and 5 are the same bug and I believe it is an adult. The other two are different bugs but I think they are nymphs.

i think it's a Woolly Psyllid. put it on the bug id forum to be sure

if i remember correctly, it's part of the leafhopper bunch....i say bunch because i don't know if that's genus, species or family.

This message was edited Jun 25, 2014 11:04 AM

I put it on the insect ID forum. Flapdoodle ID'ed it as a leafhopper and I agree. Thanks.

Here is some of the "crap" they leave on a tiger lily stem.

great news on the id....yuck on the crapola.

Yes, trackinsand, I have seen Dr. Bonner's on the Internet and I think you have an excellent idea here. But one question -- you said don't spray on bees, and I understand that - but is it harmful to bees if not sprayed directly on them?


Hi hcmcdole - we are not too far apart in region, and quite possible we have the same issue. So far it's only on my tiger lilies and some of the hosta bloom stems, but all concentrated in that one particular garden. I have hostas and tiger elsewhere that are not affected -- yet. So I really want to get under control.

What do yawl think of using diatomaceous earth?

Suny

Suny,

I do think we have the same problem. I've seen this for years now and it seems to be getting worse. Not sure if leafhoppers are "bad" but the crud left on the plants looks "bad". You are correct on hostas too - the bloom stalks. Guess I've been paying more attention to my hydrangeas this year along with the lilies (which are almost over for this year - boo hoo). At least next year I can start a spraying program earlier on not only for leafhoppers but some kind of worm chewing massive grids in my hardy hibiscus and rose of Sharon bushes. GRRR!

I never heard of diatomaceous earth for leafhoppers but have seen it advertised as an organic way for controlling slugs and snails. I bought the D.E. for swimming pools and used it at our last house - seemed to be a huge waste of time. Not sure if there is a huge difference between D.E. for slug control versus D.E. for swimming pools. I'd stick with Neem, insecticidal soap, or any other insecticide for that matter.

Here is one that must've escaped the spray from yesterday on the backside of Alocasia 'Sarian'. Looks like an alien life form.

the way castile soap works is it suffocates/desiccates the insect almost immediately. since it is also quick drying (unlike an oily substance such as neem), there is no residual effects to bees or other beneficials and is also less likely to burn a plant in sun.
personally, i have never seen any burn after using it.
so, as i stated above, after spraying castile, it becomes completely harmless except for the nice scent left behind.

i talk about castile soap a lot on dg and i'm sure some people might be tired of it but i never get tired of telling people just how wonderful it is and how fast it works. it has no systemic properties and if a "bad" insect flies in right after you're done spraying, it has no effect on that or any other insect.

That is one thing I don't like about Neem - it really has a pungent smell to it. I don't mind spraying it outdoors but indoors I quit using it for that fact alone. Some folks like the smell...

We have one Indian woman (India) in our local club and she swears by using powered Neem in the soil as a fungicide/insecticide but says you need to buy it at a specialty store that sells Indian products. I am not going to go out of my way to chase this product down though.

Where is Castile soap readily available?

i get mine on amazon but i think target and walgreens both carry it. one bottle lasts a lonnnngggg time.

I may look for it this weekend at Target then.

i just did a google search for target/dr. bronner's. yes, they do carry it. you may want to call your local target to see what's in stock.

We usually go shopping at Target after breakfast on Saturday. I can wait until then.

You know, I never thought about castile soap, but I am so glad you mentioned it. I am ordering it over the internet, as we do not have a Target here (rural Alabama - Appalachians).

But you brought back some good memories to me. Years ago when my son was young, starting at age 3, I used to take him primitive camping in Bankhead National Forest. We had to hike in 3-1/2 mile and camped on a sandbar where bee branch - our fresh water supply which came from a waterfall - flowed into the Sipsy river. If you didn't backpack it in, you didn't have it, so weight and space was very important. I always carried in castile soap. I washed our cooking pot in it, washed our clothes in it, bathed with it and washed our hair with it. It didn't pollute the river or harm the fish or other wildlife and was very effective.

I taught him how to cut saplings and string with fishing line to catch fresh fish ... and so forth. Great times and great memories. He thought I was the coolest mom ever. One spring, summer and fall as he got a little older, we made seven trips to the forest staying at least a week each time. I believe in teaching survival skills young.

I just love DG - and the awesome folks like yawl are what makes it so special. Thanks so much for all the help and inspiration.

Have A Grateful Day,
Suny

To: hcmcdole - Have you heard of Dipel Dust for worms? It is organic, and I purchased some after i saw the first baby army worm on my tomatoes, and no more worm damage...It's organic too. I got mine at the local farmer's co-op.

Does Dipel dust have BT in it? What is the active ingredient in it?

I didn't remember to look for Castile soap this weekend but I had some insecticidal soap from last year so did use it this weekend. Maybe later this week I will look for Castile soap.

Hello everyone, I have mealy bugs too, but I just wash them off with my water hose. Seems to work ok. I like Castile soap also. It's soap made from mostly or all olive oil and lye and it makes a very gentle soap that is good to skin. I've seen it at Cracker Barrel too as well as grocery stores and pharmacies. I like to make my own though. Cheaper and you can make enough to last all season.

there certainly is no lye in castile soap.
here is the ingredient list from the peppermint scented bottle:

water, saponified organic coconut and organic olive oils w/ retained glycerin, organic hemp oil, organic jojoba oil, organic peppermint oil, mentha arvensis extract, citric acid, vitamin E.

trackinsand - The word "saponified" means that the fats and oils used in the soap were changed using an alkali. Traditionally, "Castile" soap is soap in which all or most of the oil used is olive oil. When saponification is complete, the lye has been used up and the fats have been changed.

From the book "The Complete Soapmaker" by Norma Coney, "Saponification - The process by which soap is formed. Occurs when fats and/or oils are combined with an alkali (in this case, lye)".
"Olive Oil Castile Soap - A traditional recipe from Castile, Spain Ingredients - 52 ounces olive oil, 7 ounces lye, 20 ounces cold water".

Dr. Bronners Castile Soap is great stuff and I like to use it, but as far as I know it is made with lye, which causes saponification to take place.

Have you heard anything about using Fels Naptha soap to do the same thing as Castile? Wouldn't smell as nice, that's for sure!

Wow, learning all kinds of new things on this thread.

i stand corrected.....to a point! lol we don't know that lye was used but regardless, i still stick by my guns when it comes to using dr. bronner's. :-)

tracinsand - Yep, I like dr. bronners stuff too!

Hi hcmcdole - Active Ingredients in Dipel dust: Bacillus thuringiensis, kurstaki strain ABTS-351 Fermentation solids, spores and insecticidal toxins.

I was told it does not harm honey bees, but you may want to look up on the Internet to verify that.

And I could be mistaken about it being organic - bag says "biological insecticide"

Hummm - does this mean it's NOT organic??? I have not opened the bag yet - been using diatomaceous earth and Neem oil with hot pepper juice so far.

Suny

Yes, I finally Googled it and found Bt was the active ingredient. Bt is a bacteria so it is organic and occurs in nature. I've used Bt before many years ago but it was another manufacturer (Gardens Alive?)

Do you buy yours in dust form or liquid? Seems like spraying it on would be a lot quicker than dusting. From reading about it, it seems to degrade very quickly from the sun exposure so it should be applied late evening while the "worms" are actively feeding.

i buy my Bt in the liquid form sold as Thuricide. Ferti-lome makes it...very easy to spray. i don't like dust...seems like it never goes where it's supposed to and hard to get on the undersides.

diatomaceous dust (garden grade/not pool grade) is great for certain uses but since any kind of liquid (rain, etc) kills the effects instantly, not really an option for me except in the house inside cabinets for silverfish.