Help with an aglaonema. Mealy bugs?

[Colinb07958]

Hi all

firstly I am completely new to houseplants and have only started to get a handful of plants.

I have an algloanema. I have noticed some white bits on it. I googled mealy bugs and am now paranoid I can see white spots on my plants.

what is the best way to tell if you have mealy bugs?

pictures of the aglaonema attached. It only seem to be 2 leaf. Also when I must the plant I end up with which there the water dry on the leaves. So was not sure if it was that.

 

[Tetters]

Here`s a mealy bug ! The first thing to remember is - Don`t panic

May I suggest that you use a bit of washing up liquid in warm water, take a cotton wool ball and gently clean all the leaves on your plant especially the undersides. This will make the plant look better straight away, and give you a 'clean slate' so you can watch and be ready to act if you find any insects.

Your plant is certainly not suffering from a bad infection, so you have time to deal with it anyway. Please let us know how you get on, and welcome to our forum.

 

[Colinb07958]

Just cleaned all the leaves. Still got these marks. I might just wait and see. Hard for me to tell. Nothing seems to be moving.

 

[Tetters]

It does look like the residue that mealy bugs leave behind, but I can`t be certain. If that`s what it is, the good bit is that you have noticed it quickly and you will be able to sort it out.
In our house (I`m afraid) we currently have a rather large collection of cactus awaiting their new home (they belong to lord awful) and we have been fighting this problem all winter on and off, so I can tell you they are very clever little nasties, and they tend to know how to hide. We have invested in a magnifying glass with lights on and a packet of batteries. We used neem oil for a while to suffocate the ones we found, and picked them off by hand as and when we found them. Then we used some methylated spirit. I think we are all clear now, but are always on the watch for more. All the cactus are doing ok

As a newbie to houseplants, you will need to put this down to experience, and that of course is the very best way to learn.
Do you have a garden outside too?

 

[Colinb07958]

Thanks for your reply.

I am in a flat so no garden unfortunately.

I have watched a couple you tube video etc. So will keep an eye on it to.

paranoid that any little spot on any of my houseplants is a bug. Lol

 

[Tetters]

Just stay calm and don`t panic. I have a feeling you will finish up being a houseplant expert ! Growing plants is one of the best hobbies to have, and I reckon one of these days you will manage to get yourself a garden. When lockdown and covid is out of the way, maybe you could find a garden club, and/or an allotment

 

[Colinb07958]

Thanks for your kind message it really means a lot. Am a bit addicted at the moment and have a few plants. Didn’t realise how nice some of the indoor plants can look. There is a lot to learn. Indirect light, amount of watering, bugs etc. All a learning curve.