You are here:
Carnivorous Plants/BUGS
Advertisement
Question
I have an collection of venus fly traps that needs some attention. I have dentate, red piranha, crimson sawtooth, vigorous and fang traps. I planted these from little baby plants. They are planted in organic peat moss. Over the past few weeks I have developed a bug problem. These are not flying bugs, they seem to come from the soil when I water the plants. They are little white bugs that just seem to crawl just beneath the top soil. Is it necessary to try and get rid of these bugs. If the answer is yes, then, how do I get rid of them? Looking forward to hearing your response. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks
Not sure what they are, but they shouldn't be there. Sometimes soil pests will eat the roots of plants and hamper their growth significantly. Use either a topical insecticide or a systemic insecticide. Sometimes you have to use both if the infestation is severe. The topical insecticide, such as pyrethrin, will take care of the bugs immediately. The systemic will take care of bugs only when they munch on the plant, so this will take care of hatchlings at a later date.
For information on how to use insecticides with carnivorous plants, watch our video podcast on the subject.
http://youtu.be/lbRCdJ8ZNF0
Good growing!
Jacob Farin
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Sarracenia Northwest
Expertise
If your plant is showing poor growth, discoloration, abnormal leaves or possible infestation, the growers at Sarracenia Northwest can help! Carnivorous plant experts Jeff Dallas and Jacob Farin will help you diagnose the problem and get your plants on the right track. Their no nonsense approach has helped thousands of growers all over the world. They can help you too!
Experience
With over 40 years of combined experience, Jeff and Jacob has definitely taken a straight forward approach to growing carnivorous plants. They have encountered many types of diseases, abnormal growth and infestations related to carnivorous plants, and they know what it takes to get plants looking beautiful and healthy again.
Education/Credentials
Authors of Secrets to Growing Beautiful Carnivorous Plants for Your Home and Garden and producers of the Grow Carnivorous Plants! DVD Series. They also produce a monthly video podcast to illustrate how plants cycle through the seasons.
No terrariums. No myths. No nonsense.
Just the straight facts from guys who grow and propagate
thousands of carnivorous plants each 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?) For general plant care, please read our care sheets on our main website: http://www.cobraplant.com/caresheets For business questions: http://www.cobraplant.com/contact |
Follow us on Youtube and Facebook!
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.