mealybugs on Maranta
Quick answer
If your Maranta has mealybugs, the most likely cause is: Mealy bugs pester lots of plants, but the cottony sap-sucking insects are drawn to marantas with almost the same sadistic vehemence as bougainvilleas; they lodge in stem joints and leaf axils of the prayer plant, where it takes time for them to undermine plant vigour but where an unchecked colony slowly saps the tender Marantaceae tissue until leaves yellow and growth stalls.
Start here:
- 1. Keep a vigilant eye out for mealybugs on marantas and take action quickly while simultaneously segregating the affected plant from the rest of the collection to prevent the crawlers from spreading to neighbouring tropicals.
- 2. Remove mealybugs with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and repeat every 3 days until the plants are clean; in between swabs, spray with insecticidal soap after testing the plant for tolerance on a single leaf.
Why Maranta gets mealybugs
Maranta leuconeura
Mealy bugs pester lots of plants, but the cottony sap-sucking insects are drawn to marantas with almost the same sadistic vehemence as bougainvilleas; they lodge in stem joints and leaf axils of the prayer plant, where it takes time for them to undermine plant vigour but where an unchecked colony slowly saps the tender Marantaceae tissue until leaves yellow and growth stalls.
How to reverse mealybugs on Maranta
- 1
Keep a vigilant eye out for mealybugs on marantas and take action quickly while simultaneously segregating the affected plant from the rest of the collection to prevent the crawlers from spreading to neighbouring tropicals.
- 2
Remove mealybugs with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and repeat every 3 days until the plants are clean; in between swabs, spray with insecticidal soap after testing the plant for tolerance on a single leaf.
- 3
Spray the entire plant with an organic neem oil solution, paying extra attention to the underside of the leaves and the leaf-axil crevices where the cottony masses congregate.
Keep mealybugs off this Maranta
Inspect marantas weekly along the stem joints and leaf axils where the pests shelter; maintain stable warm temperatures between 65°F (18°C) and 75°F (23°C) so the plant is not weakened by stress, and quarantine any newly acquired houseplant for several weeks before placing it within reach of a prayer plant.