AboutSarracenia Northwest Expertise Got a carnivorous plant problem? The growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin have helped thousands of growers around the world, and they can help you too. When you submit your question, they will diagnose your situation and offer a solution to help you get your carnivorous plant back on track.
Experience With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. Get the straight facts from the guys who grow and propagate thousands of these plants every year.
PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTION:
We no longer answer how-to questions (i.e. How do I propagate...?; How do I grow...?).
Instead, we help growers by diagnosing a specific plant problem and offering solutions (i.e. Why is my sundew not producing dew?; Is now a good time to divide my Sarracenia?; Why are the traps turning black?; What's a good substitute for perlite?; Why didn't my seeds germinate?; Can you identify this carnivorous plant for me?)
I live in Rochester MN, and I purchased this D. Prolifera from you guys last summer and it was growing well til over the winter I had noticed that each leaf was dying and that new growth wasn't lasting long as well so one day I placed my prolifera under my lamp to get a closer look and noticed little green spots were crawling around, well didn't know what they were til I realized, they were aphids, well I didn't want to shock the plant so I watied til when the weather started to warm up, then I had repotted the prolifera into a new pot with some plant medium that I had purchased for sundews from you guys as well. Well I had noticed that my plant was doing a lot better and it was growing healthy, til all or a sudden, I noticed a green spot, once again, the little green pests found their way back, I don't know how but they did. So what can I do to get rid of the little pests forever?
Answer Hi Jay,
Aphids can wreck havoc over your plants, so it's always a good idea to treat them immediately. This is especially true if you have other plants in your collection since the infestation can spread to your other plants. While the you had good intentions of not shocking the plant, it's best to take care of the situation immediately than waiting. If you wait, you only weaken the plant further.
Spray your plant with a solution of pyrethrin. You can find it at any garden center. It's a common and natural insecticide. Any brand of the compound will do the job. Follow the directions provided by the manufacturer. You may need to spray again in 5-7 days. If necessary, also treat nearby plants. If the infestation occurs again, you may need to switch to a systemic insecticide. But lets see if you can get rid of the infestation with a less toxic approach.
Getting rid of aphids and other pests forever is a bit unrealistic. Instead, you have to develop the mindset of being attentive to pests and treating them as they occur. That's part of the job description of any gardener, regardless of the type of plants you grow. We write about this in our monthly newsletter where we share monthly growing tips. One of the tips is spraying for pests as they pop up, even with tropical plants. If you're not a subscriber, you can subscribe at: http://www.cobraplant.com/newsletter
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