The more you look, the more you see... such a brilliant conclusion to start this post with!
Oh, but what I'm talking about! This is so logical, we don't have to be a keen observer and thinker like Hercule Poirot was to figure this out. Everyone knows this fact - then what is so special about this?
I can't justify myself... that is the thing. I was not looking and seeing what was going on for a while. And that, exactly that "not seeing" brought the situation, or let's say execution I had to carry out yesterday. I didn't see on time the mealybugs that were happily living and building a strong empire on my Lucky Bells. Two pots of tall, grown-up plants blooming for two or three years had to be chopped up and thrown away. I had to do it as it had no other solution. There were too many mealybugs and the plants kind of gave up on the surviving phase — poor, unlucky Lucky Bells.
Well, I am not shaken by this situation very heavily. I know that Lucky Bells can propagate so easily, but it was just the feeling that I had to throw away some plants that had grown with me since they were tiny babies and arrived in a small cardboard package with other succulents from abroad.
I took some smaller cuttings and leaves from the plants that finished in the bin, those where I saw no mealybugs (first photo). Plus, I already have a pot with two young plants, offspring from those unlucky big ones. These were not close to the pot where the mealybugs settled, so they stayed intact (I hope🤔).
They will be fine and it is just a matter of time before Lucky Bells will grow from those leaves.
However, there is a little issue with other succulents that were sharing the pot with one of the affected plants. One little plant also hosted the mealybugs family so once again I took just a few parts that I think are intact (however, the more I look the more I see)... I will make sure they are clean when I pass an ear stick soaked in alcohol between/under the leaves.
Also, I got rid of the soil as I think it can be "infected" by the pest. Now these plants are waiting for the new soil and new pot, and also to check their roots thoroughly if they are ok and without any sign of mealybugs. I have to be a good Poirot detective this time.
It was interesting to see what their roots look like.
Another case that no detective can solve is the attack and perseverance of the black aphids. God knows how many times this big Aeonium (and now the small one in the second pot too) went to the shower, to be sprayed first with dishwasher liquid (dishwasher diluted with water) and later showered with clean water. The plant did that journey so many times but the black aphids always reappeared.
Aren't they cute? 😂
No, they are not!
I bought a liquid of Urtica dioica to spray them, every 15 days, but I think I will combine both the dishwasher liquid solution and the Urtica dioica solution until the aphids decide not to come back. I think this is the first time I have been fighting them for so long.
Hey! But not all things are so unlucky in my succulents' world.
The Ruby Blush plants are starting to bloom and we don't need detectives in this case to conclude how nice they are! 😊
