CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to completely prevent and control cactus pests

How to completely prevent and control cactus pests

1. White shield scale

Cactus white shield scale is also known as cactus scale. It belongs to Homoptera and Shield Scale family. The female scale is nearly round, about 2 mm, grayish white, with two shell spots, off-center, dark brown; the body is pear-shaped, flat, wider at the front end, and slightly pointed at the back end. The male scale is slender, grayish white, and slightly smaller than the female scale. There is an obvious longitudinal ridge in the center of the back, and one shell spot is located at the front end, which is light yellow. It is oval, 0.3 mm long, and yellowish white. The nymphs are light yellow when they first hatch, and the male and female are separated after the second instar. There are 2 to 3 generations a year, but in greenhouses or plastic sheds, there are multiple generations a year, and the damage is year-round. In the open field, the female adults overwinter on the fleshy stems of the host. In the spring of the following year, from mid-January to early February, the nymphs can be seen concentrated on the fleshy stems after hatching. From April to September, the peak hatching period begins, the number of insects increases rapidly, the insect bodies are densely piled up, and the overlapping of generations is serious. Adults and nymphs suck the juice from the host's fleshy stems, turning the affected parts white and infecting them with other pathogens. The growth and development of the affected plants are inhibited, and in severe cases, the fleshy stems may partially or completely rot.

Prevention and control methods (1) If the cactus is damaged by white shield scale, the scale insects parasitic on the fleshy stems of the cactus should be removed manually immediately, and attention should be paid to maintaining the ventilation and light transmission of the plants to reduce the occurrence of pests; (2) Chemical control measures can be adopted. It is necessary to seize the favorable opportunity when the nymphs are hatching and the nymphs are weak in drug resistance. Use 1000 times diluted 40% omethoate, 1000 times diluted 50% fenitrothion, 1500 times diluted 40% cypermethrin emulsifiable concentrate, or 2500 times diluted 20% cypermethrin emulsifiable concentrate. Spraying can be used on cactus plants damaged by white shield scale to achieve good prevention and control effects;

(3) In addition, the black-margined red ladybug, aphid wasp, and gnawing wasp are the main natural enemies of this insect and should be protected and utilized.

2. Red spider

Red spiders, commonly known as fire dragons, are mites. Individuals are very small, less than 1 mm long, round or oval, orange or reddish brown. The body is segmented, with unclear segments, and the body is divided into two parts: the front area and the back area. The front area includes the head and the front feet, and the back area includes the hind feet and the back of the feet. There are 4 pairs of feet, no wings and antennae. Generally, red spiders go through four stages in their life: eggs, larvae, nymphs and adults, but they do not go through pupae, which is an incomplete metamorphosis. Red spiders have a strong reproductive capacity, generally reaching more than 10 generations a year, and can reproduce sexually or parthenogenetically. Especially under high temperature and drought conditions, they reproduce rapidly and cause serious damage. Above 30°C, a generation can be completed in about 5 days, and the generations overlap.

Red spider mites are common pests on flowers. They are widely distributed and occur everywhere. They suck the sap of the host as adults, larvae, and nymphs, and the chlorophyll of the damaged leaves is destroyed. When the damage is serious, the leaf surface will show dense and tiny gray-yellow spots or patches. The leaves gradually turn yellow and fall off, and even become bare, which seriously affects the growth of flowers.

Prevention should be the main method of prevention and control. The cultivation environment should be properly ventilated, but a certain humidity should be maintained to avoid stuffiness and dryness.

Commonly used drugs include 1000-1500 times diluted 40% omethoate, 1000 times diluted 40% dicofol, etc., which can be sprayed every 7 to 10 days in the hot and dry season; 800-1000 times diluted 50% dichlorvos can be sprayed once a week, 2 to 3 times for prevention and control. Thoroughly spray before wintering.

3. Aphids

There are many types of aphids, usually green, yellow, black, and brown. Aphids occur all year round and generally reproduce fastest at temperatures around 29°C. They gather on the buds, young leaves, or twigs of plants, sucking the juice endlessly. The branches and leaves of the affected plants turn yellow and deform, the buds decay, the flowering period is shortened, the flowers lose their color, and in severe cases the plants wilt and die.

Prevention and control methods: bury 30% furadan or 30% dichlorvos granules into the potting soil 5 to 10 cm deep, and it will be effective in 2 to 3 days (highly toxic, so be careful); spray with 1000 times of 40% omethoate or 1500 times of 80% dichlorvos; soak aphid tobacco in 20 times of water for 48 hours, then add 20 times of water and 1/10 of laundry detergent and stir, filter out the residue and then use it for spraying; mix laundry detergent, urea and water in a ratio of 1:4:100 to make a mixture, and use it to spray the plants, which can kill insects and fertilize at one stone.

Regardless of pests and diseases, prevention is better than treatment. Weeds should be removed in time, pesticides should be sprayed regularly (once every 20 days), and the soil should be loosened regularly. Changes in humidity and temperature, sometimes too humid, sometimes too dry, and high and low temperatures will promote the growth of pathogens and pests.

We must strengthen management, improve the cultivation environment, eliminate the breeding conditions of pests and pathogens, and prevent problems before they occur.

I bought a pot of cactus (Golden Tiger) today. I heard that if I don't take good care of it, it will attract spider mites. Is that true? How should I take care of it? Will it bloom?

Golden Amber

[Alias] Ivory Ball

【Scientific Name】Echinocactus grusonii

【English name】Golden barrel, Golden ball cactus

【Family】Cactaceae, Echinocactus

【Morphology and habit】The stem is spherical, solitary or in clusters, 1.3 meters high, 80 cm or more in diameter. The top of the ball is densely covered with golden yellow wool. There are 21-37 prominent ridges. The areoles are large, densely covered with hard thorns, which are golden yellow and later turn brown. There are 8-10 radial thorns, 3 cm long, and 3-5 middle thorns, which are thicker, slightly curved, and 5 cm long. It blooms from June to October. The flowers are in the cotton wool at the top of the ball. They are bell-shaped, 4-6 cm, yellow, and the flower tube is covered with sharp scales. It has a strong habit; it likes calcareous soil and requires plenty of sunlight.

Habits of Golden Barrel: Likes warmth, sunshine and dryness, afraid of cold and moisture, and grows well in sandy soil containing lime.

[Propagation and cultivation] It is easy to cultivate. It likes fertile and calcareous sandy loam. It requires sufficient sunlight, but it can still be shaded appropriately in summer. The winter temperature is maintained at 8-10 degrees Celsius, and the pot soil is required to be dry. It grows faster in fertile soil and air circulation. It is advisable to change the pot once a year during cultivation. It is mostly propagated by sowing, and germination is relatively easy. Grafting is also often used for propagation. The top can be cut in early spring to promote the growth of bulblets. When the bulblets grow to 0.8-1 cm, they can be cut and grafted. The annual stem segment of Hylocereus occidentalis is more suitable as the rootstock. When the bulb grows up, it should be "squatted in the pot" to allow it to grow its own root system and remove the rootstock.

[Resource Distribution] Native to the dry and hot tropical desert areas in central Mexico.

[Uses] Potted plants can grow into very regular large specimen balls to decorate halls, or be planted in greenhouses to create tropical desert landscapes.

Golden Bark, also known as Yellow Thorn Bark, is the most attractive cactus species in the Cactaceae family and the genus Golden Bark. There are several main variants in the plant palm, such as White Thorn Bark Bark, Crazy Thorn Bark Bark Bark, Short Thorn Bark Bark Bark, Golden Bark Bark, Golden Bark Bark Crown, etc.

Origin and Habits: Golden Bark Bark is native to the deserts of Mexico and is now introduced and cultivated in southern and northern my country. Golden Bark Bark likes plenty of sunlight and fertile, permeable sandy loam. During the hot summer, it should be properly shaded to prevent the ball from being burned by strong light.

Morphological characteristics: The stem of the golden barrel cactus is spherical, the ball is dark green, densely covered with yellow hard thorns, and the top of the ball is densely covered with golden wool; the flowers are yellow, borne at the top among the wool, of equal size, very beautiful and spectacular; the fruit is covered with scales and wool, and the seeds are black and smooth.

Breeding technology: Golden barrel cactus is propagated by sowing and bulb grafting

1. Seeding method: Seeds harvested in the current year have a high germination rate. Seeding is carried out from May to September. 30 to 40 days after germination, the seedlings are already the size of rice grains or mung beans, and can be transplanted or grafted onto rootstocks to accelerate growth.

2. Bulb grafting method: Grafting seedlings that have been cultivated for more than 3 months onto tender scion to promote growth. When the scion grows to a certain size or the rootstock cannot support it, it can be cut off and the wound can be dried before cutting and potting. In an environment with fertile soil and good air circulation, ungrafted seedlings can also grow quickly. After potting, seedlings or grafted bulbs should be placed in a semi-shaded place, avoid direct sunlight, and the bulbs will survive if they do not shrink after 7 to 10 days.

Management techniques: Golden Bark Bark likes sandy loam containing lime, which can be mixed with equal amounts of coarse sand, loam, leaf humus and a small amount of old wall ash. Repotting and soil change and cutting off old roots should be carried out once a year. Take the bulb out of the pot in mid-March, cut off the old roots, and do not hurt the taproot. After cutting, place the bulb in a ventilated place for 4 to 5 days to let the cut end air dry; the new culture soil used for repotting should be fermented livestock and poultry manure as base fertilizer, and coal ash, plant ash and a small amount of animal bone meal should be added and mixed well; the pot should be detoxified by sun drying, steaming and spraying to prevent the bulb from rotting. Golden Bark Bark Bark is native to the dry and hot tropical desert area in central Mexico. It likes warm, dry and sunny weather and does not require high fertilizer. The potting soil should be sandy loam with lime such as eggshell powder, and the bottom of the pot can be used as base fertilizer with decomposed chicken manure or bean cake, bone meal, grass charcoal, etc. Supplement nutrients and increase soil alkalinity. Plants in the cactus family prefer to grow in neutral or slightly alkaline soil.

Repot and change the soil every spring. When repotting, loosen the soil around the roots first, take a soft sponge of appropriate thickness according to the weight of the ball, tie it into a bottle-shaped knot, put it on the lower middle part of the ball, tighten the bottle-shaped knot, take out the tied golden barrel cactus, remove the old soil, trim the dead roots and the old roots that are too long. Wait until the roots are dry before moving it to another pot, fill the surrounding new soil, and shake it several times until the pot soil is full and the ball is not shaken. First place it in a cool and ventilated place that is not damaged by frost, and then gradually move it to the sun.

The golden barrel cactus likes plenty of sunlight. It will grow better if placed in a glass tank or covered with a plastic bag.

But it is better to keep it in half shade in summer. When the temperature reaches above 35℃, shade should be provided around noon to avoid strong sunlight burning the sphere. It can be placed in the sun before 10 am or after 5 pm to promote the growth of flower buds and avoid excessive shade, which will make the sphere longer and reduce its ornamental value. The temperature for wintering should be kept at 8-10℃ and the soil in the pot should be kept dry. When the temperature is too low, yellow spots will appear on the sphere. Protect it from rain in summer.

Each time you water, you must wait until the pot soil is completely dry before watering. Be careful not to soak the ball when watering. Apply thin fertilizer once a week. Proper shade is required in midsummer. The winter temperature should be above 5℃. When the ball diameter reaches 20 cm, you must change the pot and soil once a year. For balls with a diameter of less than 20 cm, you can change the soil once every 2 to 3 years, and cut off the dry and overlong old roots.

Summer is the peak season for the growth of golden barrel cactus, and the water demand increases. In case of drought, water frequently, preferably in the early morning and evening. Avoid watering with too cold water in the hot noon, which can easily cause "cold" and illness. If the pot soil is too dry at noon, you can spray a little water to moisten the pot surface. Do not spray water on the top of the ball and the grafted part to avoid water accumulation and rot. During the growth period, apply 1 to 2 times a month with a thin fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other ingredients, and use it with water. The organic fertilizer should be fully decomposed and the concentration should be appropriate.

Golden Barkwood is strong and disease-resistant, but due to humidity, heat, poor ventilation and other factors in summer, it is susceptible to pests and diseases such as red spider mites, scale insects, and whiteflies, so prevention and control should be strengthened. For red spider mites, use 40% dimethoate or 90% trichlorfon 1000-1500 times liquid spray for prevention and control. When scale insects and whiteflies are found to be harmful, they can be wiped out manually.

Ornamental value: Golden Bark has a long life span and is easy to cultivate. The flowers of mature golden bark are dense and strong, and they are magnificent and have high ornamental value. Moreover, it is small in size and takes up little space. It is an ideal ornamental plant for urban family greening.

The above introduction is very detailed, probably from a professional website. I also have a pair. They are very easy to raise. I only provide a very good environment. The sunshine lasts for a long time every day. (Rooftop) Ensure sufficient sunshine, sufficient water and maintain a relatively dry environment. The soil must have moisture. The surrounding environment must be dry and sunny, and it will grow well in the sheltered area. There are almost no diseases and insect pests.

Not likely