Slicing Open Bishops Cap (Astrophytum myriostigma)

[@desertplantsofavalon]

So sorry that you have lost your beautiful Astrophytum to the evil Mealies, I had exactly the same thing happen this time last year with my Astro Bishops cap too, I noticed a hole in the top and when I cut it open it was full of mealies and had rotten all through, Mealies are so horrible I hate them so much, thanks so much for sharing and sending you an abundance of love and PLANT POWER from Irelandfor a wonderful day XXXX

[@phileofarm1]

Desert Plants of Avalon, oh no! So sorry to hear yours met the same fate! 😭. It’s always so sad to loose them, but I couldn’t figure out where the mealies kept coming from! I’m hoping this was the main breeding ground and that I will be able to eradicate them for a while now! I wonder if bishops caps are especially prone or, if it was just one of those things. Thanks for the lovely comment, now I’m off to watch your latest plant tour video because it popped up in my feed and I’m so excited to see it! I haven’t been keeping up with watching many videos lately, but I love seeing your videos and feeling all the positive joy and love that you put out into the world! Thank you! 💗💗

[@ginger8314]

Wow..I would never think to do that but I’ve learned something. Thanks for your videos!

[@strawberryluv2244]

Thanks for this video! I would have never thought to look for those little stinkers in my Bishops cap. Now I will. And so sorry you lost your cactus.

[@izabelaszydlowska3940]

fascinating to watch. like you said - rare opportunity to satisfy curiosity as to what the inside of a particular plant looks like. Thank you for the video!

[@Mspoor70]

Fantastic vid, great info. Got my very first bishops hat today. Will be watching her closely. Hugs for your loss but thumbs up for your excellent detective skills! Smiles, Tish 🌺

[@jeff6899]

Nice video...love my astrophytum's...didn't know about the direct application of Isopropyl Alcohol, so thanks !! :)

[@johnrenelle1591]

You can use organic insecticide in your cactus to prevent the bugs and fungus. That is the way to save your cactus

[@kerrigancooney2122]

Yes please do a video about dealing with them! I can't stand the mealies

[@andreavinacco8011]

Omg 🙀🙀that just totally creeped me out, now I’m gonna have to inspect my bishops cap. I just found that one of the sellers I use for my succulents, her plants have mealies 😩 and I got my bishops cap from her

[@crazycactuscollector2462]

Wow great and fascinating video :)

[@alhashimi786]

Hi Ashley - I have just recently bought a few Astrophytums (ie. Myriostigma and Asterias) - I have placed them in front of large South facing windowsill - there is a net curtain in place - that should be adequate and not too intense in terms of light levels?

[@janetfried]

very interesting!!

[@morrisparkintheozarks6831]

Yeah I do the same for the incurable during the winter, have done the same for ant infestation, wash the plant, burn the soil with the nest, ants also move mealy bugs around and farm them. Burn them all.

[@barbeatque]

Would you spray alcohol on a astrophytum?

[@imdayday]

Mealy bugs belong to Coccoidea, to say they prefer other plants over succulents is a bit generalized. Mealy bugs are worldwide, and some are specialized on succulents. Maybe they prefer the more tender and juicy ones like Graptopetalum or Echeveria.

[@phileofarm1]

Day Day, very true. I should have said “these mealies prefer leafy plants over my succulents.” I could have gone into more detail on that, I was just trying to mention the concept of using a plant that mealies will like better than most plants in your collection as a scapegoat to lure them away. And I use a few specific leafy plants that work well for this in my area. As I talked about in the video that was specifically on using other plants to lure mealies, I mention finding a plant in your area (that’s usually more leafy) that is known to be susceptible to the mealies you are struggling with, and using that to lure the bugs away can work really well. In some cases having a specific succulent (often the more l leafy types like you mentioned echeveria etc., rather than lithops, Haworthia, etc.) as your scape goat that they are particularly attracted to works really well too! But generally you can find a plant, and often a leafy tender plant that the mealies will prefer over most of the Succulents in a particular collection. It sometimes takes some experimenting to find what they gravitate to, and often the plants need to be kept slightly compromised so they are weaker, but it’s still a great technique from my experience. But the plants you use would to lure them would definitely change based on what type of mealies, what a collection consists of etc. Just for the type of mealies we have here, leafy plants of certain susceptible varieties do really well for either being the first warning sign of mealies, or for drawing them away from the majority of succulents. But if having a sacrificial succulent that’s a specific variety the mealies in a certain area like works better that’s great! Just for me here, leafy plants of a few species work the best. But a lot of succulents aren’t many types of mealy bugs first choice, and often even if they are, if there is a weak, leafy plant nearby I find they will still congregate on it. Keeping them slightly unhealthy helps, as I’ve talked about in other videos. And of course the variety matters a ton. Many plants are bred to be resistant now, and many house plants have become popular because they don’t get these common pests. So it takes a bit of hunting to find a good plant that will lure them away, but in my case since I have thousands of succulents, it’s a HUGE help when I can have some of the mealies favorite plants poked throughout my Succulents to alert me to infestations, and draw them away! But I wasn’t trying to imply that all mealies would rather any leafy plants over Succulents, just trying to mention the concept, and what works for me and why my tent had mealies, because my scape goat plants died. 😉

[@messeduphina566]

That coleus died a hero

[@TheZoeBird]

Do you have any suggestions for what to do to prevent this? I picked up an astro a few weeks ago that had mealies on it. I am treating and monitoring but it never occurred to me that they would have a thriving civilization inside it.

[@johnrenelle1591]

It's easy... You can use organic insecticide and fugiran to prevent the bugs and fungus in your plant like. Cactus and succullent.

[@johnrenelle1591]

Use organic insecticide that's all

[@RuthDChin]

Do you reuse the soil after getting rid of an infected plant? After re-sterilizing of course. Not worth the risk?

[@phileofarm1]

Ruth D. Chin, if it’s pure pumice then I would sterilize then probably do a soak in a peroxide solution and then dry it out and use it. Typically if it’s potting soil I put it in a black plastic trash bag and toss it outside for an entire winter and summer and make sure it’s in the hot sun for the whole year. And then the next year I would use it in my garden or outdoor pots. But I typically never use potting mix type medium again in the house. It’s just easier to leave that soil outside, and we live on top of a hill where the topsoil is very depleted so the plant beds can always use some extra. And I’ve never had mealy bug problems outdoors here on anything. So it just works out for me. I’m sure if you can properly sterilize and/or deprive them of oxygen for long enough, then I’m sure it would be just fine. Depends on how much effort it takes to do that vs just buying a bit more potting mix... I don’t know. I never like throwing it away, but occasionally with a really weird problem that I don’t know what is wrong, I will toss them out because I’m afraid it could spread. Usually I will toss the dirt clumps into our wood stove. Then the ashes go out onto our ground outside. But that way I don’t have to worry about anything spreading. But if it’s something I know what it was, then I do what I said above, then toss it outdoors to use. So either way I burn it then it goes outdoors, or I trap it in a plastic bag for a year then toss it into my outdoor plant beds. That’s what works for me! 😉

[@succulentlivingbymarija8872]

Is that senecio? Mine got mealy bugs 10 times in the last half year. I sprayed that guy so many times. I think finally all mine plants took break from mealy bugs last month and a half. Or maybe I haven’t seen them for awhile 😄 but I think mealy bugs really liked that senecio 😊

[@phileofarm1]

Succulent Living by Marija, sorry which plant are you asking about being senecio?

[@succulentlivingbymarija8872]

Ashley Glassman / Ya Dig It? The one you sprayed and you mentioned it has different color when sprayed. I think it is in the beginning of this video.

[@succulentlivingbymarija8872]

Ashley Glassman / Ya Dig It? Great video by the way! Poor guy that was killed my mealy bugs!

[@phileofarm1]

Succulent Living by Marija, oh yes!! It is! Senecio serpens. I’ve never had mealies on any of my other senecio... but I only have the stringy ones other than this guy I think, and they are rarely around any potential mealy infestations, so maybe I’ve just been lucky!. I really wondered why they liked the chalk sticks so much, but that makes sense if they really like them! For me the Crassula tend to be very susceptible. Watch chain, jade... and then Aeonium seem to be my plants most likely to get mealies. 😞. I’ve been SO blessed to not loose much or have too much damage from mealies over the years, but there always seem to be a few lurking, and when I’m unable to check them they can take over quite quickly! I also think the plants I tend to underwater get them the easiest... and the Crassula and Aeonium are ones that tend to always be VERY thirsty by the time I get to them. So maybe that’s why. But thanks for the heads up with the senecio. I’m going to keep an extra close eye on them! 👀 👀 😉

[@succulentlivingbymarija8872]

Ashley Glassman / Ya Dig It? You know that’s what I noticed. I kept forgetting to water senecio. It was super dry and it kept getting mealy bugs. So I agree underwater stresses the plants and then mealy bugs come

[@natureloversplace745]

So sad for the astro 😔😓, it's happened to me so many time, and it's hurt 😔😓😭, i care of them so much but i don't know why is happened 😭😭😢

[@giventogrow8533]

Oh dear. Reat in peace little cactus. That was crazy.. I knew it was going to be bad but ughhhh

[@pixiehopper8]

This just happened to mine, and I’m so sad about it! :(

[@johnrenelle1591]

You can use organic insecticide to prevent the bugs and fungus in your cactus

[@Jordan-Cook]

6 mealybugs downvoted this video.

[@phileofarm1]

Jordan Cook 🤣😂🤣

[@crittergirl3647]

I can give you some coleus if you are close to Spokane.

[@phileofarm1]

Critter Girl, aww!! How sweet! We are about an hour and a half away, and don’t get up there very often with my health, but thank you SO much for the sweet offer! If we are up that way before I find some here I might have to give you a holler and take you up on that! 😘😘💗. But I’m hoping in a few weeks now they will start showing up in the nurseries around here... fingers crossed! It’s so awesome to meet someone so close on here though! Howdy neighbor! 😉😁

[@jimrice8903]

Wow it has nothing to do with her wood stove!!! get over it~~ wood stoves are great heaters!! thanks for the video

[@dazester]

Maybe i didn't ear it but what kind of alcool (isopronanol, ethanol???) and what percentage %% do you use. And is it better than soap base product sale for this ?!? Thank you for your awnser..

[@masoncoats1478]

Daniel Falardeau I can barely read that but isopropanol i think I don't know what %

[@phileofarm1]

Sorry about that, yes isopropyl is what I use. I like it better than soap because it mostly evaporates off and then I rinse the rest off with the mealies. The soap often washes down into the soil despite best efforts, but it really depends on the soap. Some are more effective than others for sure. Also the alcohol isn’t as likely to damage the powdery pretty coating on some succulent leaves whereas soap can disturb it. Those are the reasons I go for alcohol right now. When I’m healthier I use various other methods too, but if we are talking fast and easy, then isopropyl alcohol is one of my favorites. Just dehydrates and kills them quickly. 💗

[@conniebeal6000]

I hate mealy bugs! I normally don't hate anything, but mealy bugs are the worst!

[@phileofarm1]

Connie Beal AGREED! Mealies are just awful! 😞