Plant Doctor Archive

Making a meal of it

MY potted flaxes have been absolutely attacked by mealybugs. There are white bugs everywhere. Help!

MEALYBUGS can be a real problem on containergrown plants. They shelter under the leaves and can infest the soil, particularly if your pots get very dry throughout summer. To eradicate these pests, spray the leaves with Confidor or Shield, or blast the plants with a strong jet of water from your hose. If the infestation is severe, you should take the plant from the pot to ensure the soil is not riddled with these blighters as well. If it is, you will need to drench the soil with Confidor too.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.