insecticide on plant

worleyhimself2worleyhimself2 Raw Newbie

hey guys. i have a bit of a problem here. i have a cactus that has this white film around the pot. i got it diagnosed by a lady at a local nursery. basically it is some kind of insect. and told me to use a insect killer. Thats not how i roll. I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of a natural way to getting rid of insects?

Comments

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    I am not sure from your post what your main objective is. Are you opposed to synthetic insect killers? Are you looking for a natural insect killer? Are you opposed to killing and looking for a natural way to repulse the insects so they will leave?

    It would help if we knew the name of the insect.

  • chicorychicory Raw Newbie

    hmm…...... cactus are usually resistant to the usual insects around here….. is the white stuff chalky?? It could just be a buildup of salts or minerals from the water you are using. It usually shows up on terra cotta pots versus plastic. I used to work in a greenhouse/ plant farm for a few years. That is what it sounds like to me

  • worleyhimself2worleyhimself2 Raw Newbie

    meditating- if insects. and i apologize i just never thought that i could repulse the insects to just leave. just from the way i was conditioned i assumed i had to kill them off. so yes i would like them to just leave.

    but at the same time chicory you bring up a good point on the water. i use diluted ocean water 20:1. and it could be the salts. and yes it is chalky. the diagnoses was based of my own description. the lady did not actually see the white film. so it could be misdiagnosed

    but on the other hand i did wash the pot thoroughly and the salt still remained. can this be true if it was salt residue?

  • chicorychicory Raw Newbie

    yes it is possible. I am not too familiar with cactus, but if herbaceous plants get too much salt, they can start to decline. The salt levels keep building up in the soil, and can’t get washed away unless you irrigate the plant for about 10 minutes to flush. I have to do this once a year to my potted trees because the water here has a very high mineral content. Fertilizers, organic or not will build up the sodium level to a toxic amount eventually.

  • worleyhimself2worleyhimself2 Raw Newbie

    awesome thank you.

  • worleyhimself2worleyhimself2 Raw Newbie

    awesome thank you.

Sign In or Register to comment.