Bugs! The plants are foreign, the bugs are foreign, and the brands of insecticide are foreign. 10 EASY WAYS TO TREAT MEALYBUGS AND APHIDS ON PLANTS
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Have you ever been in my situation? Imagine. I traveled to another country. I am an expat. travel is full of stresses. extra ones - covid-19 tests.
In addition you cannot travel with liquids in hand luggage from one country to another by plane.
You arrive. The Covid-19 regulations keep you at home. Older friends don't want to risk meeting up. Your friends cannot meet you because they go out as a family and the family group is too large to be accepted by the restaurant venue.
I did not bring plants. You cannot travel with your healthy plants if they have roots. In fact, better off not risking causing trouble. Enough trouble and delays with Covid-testing.
So I was happy to see an abandoned plant by the dustbin. It had such pretty leaves. Like maple leaves.
I did not know why it had been thrown out. I soon found out.
Plants are a great solace. Until they become infected?
I could see the leaves drooping. I gave the plant more water. The leaves seemed to have white, like mould.
No joy next day. Then I saw the little white fluffy things. Moving. crawling. Insects!
I ran away.
I went back. The leaves were looking even worse. Something had to be done. I started researching on the internet.
I am only giving you the amateur advice. Most internet videos recommend products usiing American names. In the UK and Singapore we can't get these brands. If you could order on the internet, the remedy would arrive after your infected plant had died and all the others were already infested. My saviour was this video.
As the minutes and half hours passed, the evil, insidious insects carried on attacking my precious
plant.
It got worse and worse.
All shrivelled up.
How do you kill white mealybugs?
1 What the Americans call kitchen soap, the British call washing up liquid.
2 Hydrogen peroxide. Leftover from tint.
3 Shaving foam.
Great video gives you several methods and warns about testing on a bit of leaf. Unfortunately I had left it for two days and the whole plant was gone, every leaf had shrivelled.
I confessed to the family that one of my plants had white bugs. I asked for an empty spray bottle. The only thing we had to hand was a tiny bottle from a former human inspect spray repellent. It proved to be just the thing. Effective spray. Close-up.
The little white things shrivelled, like the leaves.
The websites warned, you might have to spray repeatedly. Every day? No. Every week.
Meanwhile, I have to consider whether to cut off the offending leaves. Will anything new grow out of the trunk?
I suppose it is good, in a way, to stop worrying about the entire world disappearing from global warming, or oneself catching Covid-19, and just worry about one plant.
Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 The Author of several books, including Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.
Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President
Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time
Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;
Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;
Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.
More details from Toastmasters International find a club.
Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.
Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.
Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.
Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.
Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.
Language and speech workshops in Singapore.
Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.
Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.
Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.
Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.
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