Re: [aroid-l] Amorph Blues

From: Neil Gordon <neil at ng23.abelgratis.co.uk> on 2004.07.04 at 16:26:59(11714) Thanks for the reply, that seems to clear that one up then! When i got the tuber, it was dry and shrivelled, but plumped up nicely when it was planted with a little water, then the bud poped up n stopped, as i said earlier, so something happened several weeks before i discovered it rotten. On another note, I had an infestation of mealy bugs last year, and i couldnt get rid of them until someone here suggested putting a little vinegar in the insecticde as it dissolved their shells. Does this acidic mix adversely harm or stunt the plants? The mix worked well on the Aloes they were munching - the bugs were unstoppable til i used that stuff! Neil +More On 4 Jul 2004, at 10:38, Dan Levin wrote: Neil- I knew exactly what pest you'd found even before I clicked on the link to view your image. Sadly, I find these all too often in the rotting tubers/ corms of many aroids; Amorphophallus and Alocasia especially. The pest you discovered is the larval or maggot stage of (enter sinister organ music...) the ubiquitous Fungus Gnat. If you google "fungus gnat" you'll find pages & pages of info; most Universities with an Ag school offer info on this pest & potential controls. A few such sites hosted here in the states: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7448.html (UC Davis) http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/B/I-DP-BRAD-LV.004.html (a Larvae image) http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2114.html (Ohio State) http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/uc/uc-028.html (Texas A&M) My advice for hatching Wilbert's micro mail-order Amorpho tubercles: - Never overpot, stick to a suitably sized container - Keep moist but never wet, unless growing in very high heat in a media/ pot with great drainage and much air movement - Check/ lift the little tikes every other day; scrupulously check for rot or desiccation... it's a fine line! Checking them daily is not too often. - If you have fungus gnats in your growing area, by all means: drench the soil in all of your pots with an appropriate insecticide on a preventative basis. By the time your application needs to be curative, you're too late. I'd be happy to offer info/ personal data on effective pesticidal chemistries, but will refrain from doing so unless asked.

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