Pests of cacti and how to deal with them

Cacti are plants that are very common today in indoor, home gardening. They can be of various shapes and sizes, and at the same time differ in that they are completely unpretentious if we are talking about the conditions of keeping and caring for them. Many cacti, moreover, can bloom very beautifully if properly cared for.
But still, like any plant, cacti are attacked by cactus pests.

Cactus pests

cactus pests

In this article, we will talk in more detail about the most common pests, as well as what methods and methods should be used to make the plant stronger and more resistant to such diseases and attacks.

Spider mites are pests that can get on cacti for a reason, but from infected plants that are located nearby. Therefore, its appearance is quite difficult to avoid if, in addition to cacti, the florist is fond of breeding a huge variety of other plants at home. Spider mites most often breed in a dry environment with a fairly high air temperature. It pierces the epidermis of the plant and sucks out all useful and life-giving substances from it, thereby making the plant weak and very unstable to diseases and fungi. It is impossible to see a spider mite with the naked eye, but the results of its life are quite obvious: shiny dark brown spots appear on the plant, mainly on its surface, which immediately indicates that the plant is affected. Spider mites settle on the entire surface of the plant, the skin that has been affected by the mite will never recover on the plant.

If suddenly a florist discovered signs of a spider mite and its vital activity on his cactus, then there are several methods of how to deal with them:

- the spider mite does not tolerate moisture and water, so the cactus can be regularly sprayed: in such conditions, the pest will not be able to reproduce;
- cacti can also be sprayed or wiped with an alcohol solution, soap or garlic tincture, because mites do not tolerate their odors at all;
- Affected cacti can be treated with special preparations. The most common and reliable drug is called karbofos. The approximate frequency of processing is once a week;
- you can also process cacti with mixtures of water, denatured alcohol, green soap, anabazine; a decoction based on cyclamen tubers; a mixture that consists of water, green soap, infusion of Persian chamomile. The approximate frequency of processing is once every few days, depending on how badly the cactus is affected.

Another and, perhaps, the most effective way to treat cacti from this pest is to treat the plant with a solution of ether sulfonate. It must be diluted in water in the proportion of 1 gram of the drug per 1 liter of water. The tool can destroy not only the pest itself, but also the eggs and larvae laid by it, and this is a huge advantage. In order for the fight to be effective, one should also ensure that the pest completely disappears after the treatments, because only then can we say that the treatment of the plant and its treatment have yielded any results. They also carry out prophylaxis with the same drugs, the frequency is once every 2.5-3 months. The drug does not accumulate, but it is still best to stick to the schedule.
Mealybugs are another category of pests that are quite common on cacti at home.

Pests of cacti, photo

pests of cactus photos

If the grower noticed that abnormal light discharge appeared on the plant, then this just suggests that the active vital activity of this worm is being carried out on the cactus. This pest lives mainly in the folds of the cactus stem, or right on its thorns - both locations are quite favorable. You can find these pests in areas where water does not get on the plants. It is very difficult to detect if the cactus, due to its variety, is covered with white fluff or white hairs, since it is really almost impossible to identify the pest in this way. To fight a pest, you can use several ways at once:

- collect the pest by hand or with a cotton swab or stick, which was previously soaked in an alcohol solution. But it is worth remembering that this method is most suitable for those plants that are slightly damaged;
- if the worms have already very actively spread throughout the plant, then the pests can be washed off with a strong stream of water. In order to make this treatment more effective, you can also add a little detergent to the water, which is usually used for dishes.

Of course, chemical treatment with drugs is one of the most effective. To do this, pesticides are used, and the root system of the cactus must be examined, because there may also be worms, only of a different type - the root worm. But it is worth remembering that if cacti have undergone a disease, then there is no need to immediately destroy them. For almost every disease, you can find the right methods of treatment if you diagnose it in time and determine the type of pest.

Root bugs are fairly close relatives of stem bugs. Basically, they settle in the root system, and dry ventilated soil serves as a favorable environment for their reproduction. The root worm feeds on substances from the root system, thereby weakening the plant, and can also cause rot during its life. If the pest population is high, they can crawl to the surface of the soil and transfer to healthy plants. The parasite can be found in the winter when they activate to keep themselves alive.

There are several steps you can take to control the pest. The cactus should be shaken out of the pot, but at the same time make sure that the earthen ball is not destroyed. If the grower finds white lumps between large tubers, then this indicates that the worms have already actively spread. The roots must be cleaned with soapy water. After that, the cactus is placed in a solution with pesticides (sold in specialized stores for flower growers), and then it should be dried.

After drying, the plant is planted in the soil, but after a few weeks. You can also treat the roots with plain water, the temperature of which is gradually increased. Then, after the temperature reaches about 55 degrees, you can gradually lower the temperature, up to 25 degrees. If within two weeks the plant began to acquire a more favorable appearance, then this indicates that the florist has coped with the pest. For prevention, it is best to treat the soil where the cactus grows with soapy water, and also to use pesticides. It is also important to remember that the soil must be saturated with these components. The procedure is best repeated before the winter period.

Diseases of cacti

diseases of cacti and pests

Root nematodes - these pests are considered the most dangerous among all that exist in terms of pests of cacti. They look like small round worms that can cause morphological deformations in plants - pathological thickenings appear on the roots, which affect the general condition of the plant.The environment for pests of cacti is stagnant dampness, because it is in it that parasites are easiest to develop and reproduce. The defeat of the roots occurs due to the fact that the pest secretes salivary components into the roots. The roots die off, but the pests still continue to live in the ground, gradually spreading into it and multiplying in it. There is also another striking nematode species - free-living. They are not fixed in the roots, but rather are in constant motion, and due to this they can infect other plants, rapidly multiplying in them. It is best to choose a remedy in the form of ordinary boiling water for treating cacti. Moreover, you can disinfect dishes for plants with boiling water, as well as tools used by a florist when breeding crops and caring for them.

Also, cacti are very loyal to the baths - you can make just such a bath for them at 45 degrees Celsius. In it, microorganisms and pests will slowly die, lose their ability to reproduce, which, of course, is very important. The bath is mainly not suitable for the whole cactus plant, but only for its roots.

Of course, there is another effective way - simply transplant the cactus into another soil, away from the one that has been infected and infested with bacteria and pests. In this case, diseased roots should be immediately removed, and if the damage is very strong, then the roots should be completely removed, and the plant should be sent for its re-rooting.

The scale insect is another pest. On cacti, it is found a little less often than worms or ticks, but still they are also attracted by the nutritional value of the cactus and the fact that, in general, growers rarely examine them, which means that the scale insect may be practically unnoticed. Nevertheless, if, when examining the plant, the florist noticed flat small scales, then this means just that the scale has managed to hit the plant. The color of the scales can range from red to dark brown, it all depends on the degree of disturbance and growth of such lesions. If we are talking about false shields, then they mainly have gray-yellow or gray-brown shades. These pests slowly but surely lead to the depletion of the plant, sucking out the juice and all life-giving substances from it. As a result, the plant simply dies, and the scabbard moves to new, healthy plants in order to continue to infect them.

To save cacti from the scabbard, it is best to remove all the scales with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. If the thorns on the cactus are thick. Then you should not deal with the removal of pests by hand: watering the plant with solutions that are based on drugs such as confidor and actar is suitable here.

Mushroom mosquitoes are small and harmless, but very dangerous pests for cacti. They can circle around the cactus or crawl on the very surface of the soil in which the plant is planted. As a rule, adult mosquitoes are completely safe for the plant, but its larvae are just fed by the plant itself and organic waste from the soil. The affected plant begins to develop noticeably slower, grow, there is no flowering typical for some varieties of cacti. If the disease is in a neglected state, then the cactus dies very quickly, since the larvae generally prefer to feast on the young roots of the plant, and all the life-giving moisture comes from them.

In order to get rid of such a pest as a mushroom mosquito, it is best to dry the soil slightly, and then water it in moderation. For adults, you can use the most ordinary adhesive tape, but in order to prevent reproduction and laying of larvae and eggs, it is best to put some dry sand on top of the soil.You can also destroy the larvae with the help of very popular and widespread insecticidal agents, which a florist can find in absolutely any specialized store.

Also, among the most common pests, we can single out slugs and wood lice, which also love to feast on the plant itself. Of course, they are also disposed of by water baths for the root system, as well as by treatment with insecticides. It is best to pay close attention to the plant from the very beginning, monitor its growth, the general condition of the soil, since it is best to identify the pest at the earliest stages of their reproduction, than in the future lead all this to the death of the plant or to the loss of their ability to grow and bloom, which, of course, is another negative factor.