root mealybugs on Cotyledon
Quick answer
If your Cotyledon has root mealybugs, the most likely cause is: Root mealybugs appear as a white, powdery substance clinging to the area around the roots of Cotyledon tomentosa (Bears Paw); they feed on the roots underground rather than on the leaves, so a plant can look fine on top while the root ball is already infested. The Furuya guide lists root mealybugs in its Defenses Against Diseases and Pests chapter that covers the Cotyledon section of the book.
Start here:
- 1. Slide the plant out of its pot, wash the roots with water to remove the white powdery coating and the mealybugs clinging to them, then let the cleaned roots dry in the shade for a few days to eliminate the pests.
- 2. After the roots have dried, repot the plant into a fresh 5:3:2 Akadama:Kanuma:mulch mix in a clean pot with a drainage hole, and withhold water for about one week before resuming a normal 'water only after the soil dries' routine.
Why Cotyledon gets root mealybugs
Cotyledon
Root mealybugs appear as a white, powdery substance clinging to the area around the roots of Cotyledon tomentosa (Bears Paw); they feed on the roots underground rather than on the leaves, so a plant can look fine on top while the root ball is already infested. The Furuya guide lists root mealybugs in its Defenses Against Diseases and Pests chapter that covers the Cotyledon section of the book.
How to reverse root mealybugs on Cotyledon
- 1
Slide the plant out of its pot, wash the roots with water to remove the white powdery coating and the mealybugs clinging to them, then let the cleaned roots dry in the shade for a few days to eliminate the pests.
- 2
After the roots have dried, repot the plant into a fresh 5:3:2 Akadama:Kanuma:mulch mix in a clean pot with a drainage hole, and withhold water for about one week before resuming a normal 'water only after the soil dries' routine.
- 3
Scatter a granular pesticide around the base of the plant as a follow-up preventative, the same treatment the book recommends for the closely related soil-borne rot entry.
Keep root mealybugs off this Cotyledon
Use a clean pot with a drainage hole and a coarse, free-draining 5:3:2 Akadama:Kanuma:mulch mix, let the soil dry between waterings, and quarantine any newly purchased Cotyledon tomentosa before placing it near other succulents so root mealybugs cannot spread through shared potting media.