Monday, May 01, 2006

 

Diseases and parasites of cactus.




Usually Cacti are very disease free, but occasionally. Especially if the plant is over watered, any part may be susceptible to molds or rot. If the roots are infected, then most probably the core is also and the plant is lost. If an above ground part of your plant is affected, the area should be cut out with a sharp knife to remove any infected matter. The cut parts should then be dusted with sulfur or a fungicide.

If any of the roots are affected then the plant should be un-potted and thoroughly cleaned. Of course all rotted or dead parts are removed and burned. The plant should then be repotted in pure sand and kept dry at a temperature between 64 - 70 degrees F. Cactus are tough and are designed to withstand long periods of drought, they should start growing again when healed and watered.

Usually the only pests that may plague your Cactus collection are scale insects belonging to the superfamily Coccoidea, mealy bugs, and nematodes. Of interesting note, one species of scale is intentually grown on Opuntia Cactus so that their eggs can be harvested and made into a red dye.

An environmentally friendly method of controlling scale is to spray the plants with a mixture of rubbing alcohol and nicotine. Make sure to coat the entire surface of the plant. If nematodes are present, the plant must be un-potted and the roots cut off. It is then repotted in a sterile soil mix till rerooted. The infected soil should then be sterilized or discarded, and all infected matter should be burned.


# posted by Adv. Blogger @ 9:19 AM
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