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Agave: Somethin’s Buggin’ Me Agave x 'Kissho Kan' I fell in love with Agave last year while visiting the greenhouses at the Montreal Botanical Garden. After returning home, I decided I would try growing a couple of them in pots, and ordered two species by mail order. They did quite well in the beginning, until I noticed this little white “puff ball” at the base of one plant. I removed it and promptly squashed it – revealing this “juice” inside the puff ball. At the time, I didn’t figure the juice to be insect-related, until I noticed a few more of these little puff balls. I removed some by hand, and the plant was then treated with Neem. More puff balls appeared, which resulted in more applications of Neem. Finally, I thought I had won the battle. Soon after, however, I noticed several dried brown spots on the leaves. I thought that I had done something horribly wrong to the plants. Maybe I watered too much, or not enough. Maybe they weren’t getting proper drainage. I sent an email to the nursery that I purchased the plants from, hoping that they would be able to tell me what was ailing my plants. And, I also inquired at a local nursery. This was all before I noticed the teeny tiny crawlers on the leaves. I believe what is buggin’ me is scale insect, sucking the juice right out of the leaves. I read on a gardening forum that I could try three applications of Neem, 7-10 days apart. So, that is what I am doing now. I applied the second application yesterday, and today I noticed two insects, which I removed by hand. I will try the last application next week, and see if I have any luck. Otherwise, the plants will be bagged and tagged. Such a shame. Has anyone had any luck ridding themselves of scale? On a happier note, I recently purchased two more Agave, ‘Kissho Kan’, pictured above, with lovely blue-green leaves, creamy margins, and teeth that emerge yellow, and then change from orange to red. My second plant, Agave victoria-reginae, the queen mother of agave, has the most beautiful, symmetrical form. It resembles a giant artichoke when it reaches maturity. And, my Agave wish-list continues to grow. These two new additions are in a completely different area of the house, to avoid any run-ins with the dreaded scale. Ick! Update: Thank you to Grace, of Gardening With Grace for correcting my insect i.d. The insects that were having their way with my Agave are mealy bugs. I did not have any luck getting rid of them with Neem, and ended up tossing the plants. They were in pretty sad shape, and I was growing concerned that the insects would start invading my healthy plants. Grace recommends a product called Safer’s to help get rid of mealy bugs. And, for serious infestations, she sprays her plants and then ties a plastic bag around them for 24 hours. Thank you for the information, Grace! 10 comments to Agave: Somethin’s Buggin’ Me |
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Ugh, you’re scaring me! I’ve never had a problem with any insects on my agaves but recently noticed a white substance on a couple of them that I’ve brought in the house for the winter (I’m in Oregon where it’s too wet and cold for some agave). I wonder if this is the issue. I am going out to get my Neem right now! Thanks for the warning.
Loree,
If it is in fact scale, I have read the horror stories of how impossible it is to get rid of the little buggers. Make sure the suspect plants are away from any healthy neighbors. The Neem will only work when the insects are in the crawler stage. I believe the little white puffs are a protective barrier over the female and her eggs. Good luck!! I really enjoy your blog!!
Agave is a beautiful plant, I agree with you! I have only one little plant. I’m not sure it’ll survive through the winter in the garage. Thanks for the information, I’ll keep an eye on it!
scale is such a pain! Bringing plants inside I usually get spider mites on a few. I am hoping there are a few agave that will be hardy enough to grow outside once we move to SC.
Janet,
Good luck with your move!!
I always give the potted plants a thorough inspection before bringing them back inside, but sometimes those bugs are just so darn sneaky!! I do wish I could grow agave right in the garden, too, but I’ll gladly enjoy them in pots.
Tatyana,
You are quite welcome. I hope your agave makes it through the winter. I’ve really been enjoying your photos of fall in the Pacific Northwest!!
Hi Liisa, that is awful! I have treated scale on certain orchids and other houseplants with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab on a stick, being careful to not touch the leaf if possible. Keeping healthy plants away from the infected ones is smart. I might write back to the nursery they came from and ask for a refund. In the end, you might have to get rid of the infected one to save the new ones. An expensive lesson you won’t forget!
Frances
Frances,
I did read about the rubbing alcohol trick, but it seemed that the scale had progressed enough that I needed to treat the entire plant. I will definitely try that in the future, however. I’m glad to know that it worked for you. I am considering contacting the nursery, although it has been some time since I purchased the plants. I do believe, however, that the plants had scale when they arrived. This has been a fairly expensive lesson, unfortunately. Thanks so much for the advice!!
Hi Liisa~~ I’m a first timer, here at the recommendation of Jean. She’s right–great blog! I’m thinking this sounds more like mealy bug. I’ve had them invade my Phormiums. I lost a ‘Yellow Wave’ last year. Lesson learned and now I diligently look them over. Down the center of the plant is where the little white puffs and a white residue are–the telltale signs. Frequent [once a week] applications of Safer’s seems to eventually do the trick. One tip I learned: if I get a serious infestation, put the entire plant and pot inside a plastic bag, spray and tie the bag closed for 24 hours. … Now I’m thinking I should go check my Phormiums. It’s been awhile.
Grace,
Welcome! I appreciate the bug i.d. I wasn’t positive that it was scale, but that was the closest thing I could find. I’m glad to know that Phormiums are susceptible, because I plan to purchase a couple varieties next spring. Unfortunately, I ended up tossing both of the Agave. I just couldn’t seem to get rid of the mealy bugs, and the plants were in pretty sad shape. Next time I will definitely try Safer’s, and I’ll remember your plastic bag trick. Thank you so much for the information!