mealybugs on Ladder Fern
Quick answer
If your Ladder Fern has mealybugs, the most likely cause is: Mealybugs are listed among the pests that attack Nephrolepis exaltata (Boston Fern, also called Boston Sword Fern and known by the older common name Ladder Ferns for the whole genus); they colonize this tropical fern when indoor humidity is high but air circulation is poor, settling at the bases of the pinnae where the leaflets join the rachis.
Start here:
- 1. Inspect new Nephrolepis plants carefully before bringing them indoors and quarantine them away from the rest of the collection for at least two weeks.
- 2. Spray infected fronds thoroughly with insect soap on both the top and bottom of the pinnae, repeating the treatment until no more pests appear.
Why Ladder Fern gets mealybugs
ladder fern
Mealybugs are listed among the pests that attack Nephrolepis exaltata (Boston Fern, also called Boston Sword Fern and known by the older common name Ladder Ferns for the whole genus); they colonize this tropical fern when indoor humidity is high but air circulation is poor, settling at the bases of the pinnae where the leaflets join the rachis.
How to reverse mealybugs on Ladder Fern
- 1
Inspect new Nephrolepis plants carefully before bringing them indoors and quarantine them away from the rest of the collection for at least two weeks.
- 2
Spray infected fronds thoroughly with insect soap on both the top and bottom of the pinnae, repeating the treatment until no more pests appear.
- 3
Improve air circulation around the fern and reduce overcrowding so that no leaf touches another, since the Indoor Plant Bible lists mealybugs among the pests known to attack Boston Fern.
Keep mealybugs off this Ladder Fern
Mist frequently with a hand-spray to maintain the high humidity the fern prefers, but space plants so fronds do not touch, and isolate any new purchase for two weeks so a hidden infestation cannot spread to established ladder ferns.