International Aroid Society

Greetings David,

I will cast my vote with Mr. Wilbert.

Mealy bugs can be found on leaves, branches, roots, and tubers.

I had just this weekend began to bring in several Amorpophallus,

along with other Aroids and other tropicals.

Several of my plants have Mealybugs, ( on the roots and tubers) as well.

You can have several over lapping generations once they establish themselves.

females can lay hundreds of eggs, after a month or so you are up to your ears

in Mealybugs.

Treatment can be simple and low toxic. You can use insecticidal

soap, or any botanical insecticide. You could also use a horticultural

oil. All these products are applied as a spray. An "old" remedy used around here

by old timers, is to use a little bit more than a teaspoon each of dish soap and ammonia,

in a quart sprayer. which ever method you employ, be sure to thoroughly cover them.

I do try to clean off as many as possible, to lower the population, and effect better

coverage with the above mentioned products.

You can dab them with rubbing alcohol, on a Q-tip, or cotton ball.

They are a bit more harder to control when the plants are in pots, with the roots

contained within the growing media or soil mix. In some cases, drenching the media with

a bit more stronger product, might be needed, since you will have insects of varying stages,

within the media and the root system.

Hope this will be of use to you.

Michael Kolaczewski

From: David <onimua@gmail.com>
To: aroid-l@gizmoworks.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 12:29:20 PM
Subject: [Aroid-l] Strange white mold/spots on amorphophallus tubers

Hello fellow aroiders!

Recently, I noticed an odd problem with my amorphophallus tubers - they started growing mold. At first, I thought it was just small specs of perlite and I brushed it off, and put it into storage for their dormant period. I check them once a week, just in case of anything, and I noticed it was back, but much more. I brushed it off, and it was this odd fluff (best way to describe it) and it spread to the other tubers as well. I checked, and the tubers are not soft and seem just fine except this odd fluff-like white mold that is growing on the surface of them. I'm not sure what it is, or how to get rid of it. Any ideas?

I also attached some pictures I took of said "fluff" mold.

Thanks!