Mites And Lice

[Gwaloth]

I have two plants. Actually I have more, but these two in particular got reason to die.

The first is a plant I asked something about on another part of this forum: my chamberbamboo has mite, probably. Little brownish/whiteish/transpartent wee bug parading over the withering leaves. How can I safe my bamboo, and is it possible that they are on other plants now as well?

Another plant had lice. Black dots/bug all over. I had spiritus mixed with green soap sprayed over it (according to my mother a good non-chemical cheap mixture to get them off) but the plant never really recovered. It is a climber, tied around a hoop. The leaves are hanging down, do not turn yellow or brown first. Is it the lice that killed it? Or the mixture? Or perhaps the hoop (I got it like that so I assume it has always been on hte hoop)? And how can I save this one?

Gosh, I begin to feel like a planthospital here...Any help and/or advice would be very welcome.

[MrSeedy]

Some sprays can almost do more damage than the insects they're meant to elliminate, so the spray could be at fault, and some plants are very sensitive to certain types of sprays , while others aren't at all sensitive to the same exact sprays, so it's always best to do a "leaf" test before you spray the entire plant, to see if the single leaf has a bad reaction , before you spray the entire plant. I wish I'd remembered that a few times, as even common sprays have proven bad for some of my plants that seemed to hate them!! Dishwashing soap diluted is most likely the safest control for some insects though it won't necessarily get rid of all of them.

[Ginny42]

I don't know if your spiritus is the same as the spiritus the polish people make, but it's pure grain alchohol! It might have been a little strong for some of your delicate tropicals. How much do you mix in?

[decompost]

i do know how hard it is to give up on a treasured plant, -_-
but especially when plant collections are in close quarters, like a greenhouse, for example,
or your attic jungle, specifically, your first priority needs to be containing the problem.
isolate the infested specimens well away from your others if that is at all possible,
and even consider :( sacrificing them to keep the pest problem from spreading.

[Gwaloth]

Mr Seedy: the soap I used was the most natural one can get...will the dishwasher soap get rid of the mites also? I will try it.
Ginny: I use dthe spiritus one uses to remove paint...not sure if it is the same. You can also use it ti light the BBQ :P I just poured some of the soap and spiritus togheter and diluted it with water, no real measures. But the spiritus was not very strong, one could smell it, but not very much. And this is just an ordinary climber with green pointed star-shaped leaves, not very delicate as far as I know....
Decompost: NOOOOOOOO! :mellow: Is there no other way?

[decompost]

Decompost: NOOOOOOOO!? :mellow:? Is there no other way?

:lol: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: what the heck wuz i thinkin' ???

was that me?? making noises like the voice of caution???
. . . that's not like me . . . at all !!!
*smacking self in the head* <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>"snap out of it !!"</span>

sorry 'bout that, gwaloth :wacko: i'll be okay now ^_^ ^_^

[Gwaloth]

*looks around frightened* really? It is okay? I need not cast my plant away? Really not?

[Ginny42]

That's good to hear that the spiritus is not the same stuff I was thinking about. ;)
Maybe try repotting all of your plants (with fresh dirt) before bringing them in the house and give them a good shower of the soapy water a few days in row? :unsure: I think I would try just about anything to get rid of those nasty bugs hurting your plants.

[Gwaloth]

I am busy with hte soapwater now...the climber has not survived though I hopefully water it still, and the bamboo is showing signs of struggle. There is one green litlte thingy on it again, but I saw it withering again. And that though I see no more beasts on it...