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Joined: 11/9/2007
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I have recently inherited a huge spiderplant from dying
friend and it is turning brown i water her every day & keep
her outside i would feel terrible if i kill her can any
one help
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Rank: Guest
Joined: 11/9/2007
Posts: -205
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I noticed on one of the spider plants that I had that if you don't cut the little shoots of and just let them hang, that they will literally "suck" the life out of the parent plant. And I remember my Mom mentioning once something in that direction also.
Hope that helps.
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Rank: Guest
Joined: 11/9/2007
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The spider plant that I have has what I would describe as having a very sticky something on it and some on the leaves and the stemmes have like very little {balls} on them. Is this some kind of a sick plant and what can I do for it with out tossing it out. It is very large. thank you anyone.
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Rank: Guest
Joined: 11/9/2007
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This sounds very much like scale insects. Do a google image search for "scale insects" and see if you can see anything that looks like the ones your plant has. Also if they are scale insects, you might see some really tiny white little crawling things in the soil - these would be the babies, running around looking for new plants to infect.
If they are scale insects, then it's almost impossible to get rid of them. And it's so much work with very little chance of success (in my experience), it's most likely not worth it. Also if you have that plant near any other houseplants, these nasty insects will most likely infect those as well.
So my advice, if they are scales get rid of the plant ASAP, including the soil and make sure to wash the pot very well before you use it for any other plant.
This information is from wikipedia:
"Scale insect
The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, generally classified as the superfamily Coccoidea. There are over 7,000 species of scale insect.
Scale insects are all parasites of plants, feeding on sap drawn directly from the plant's vascular system. Adult scales are immobile and permanently attached to the plant they have parasitized. They secrete a waxy coating for defense; this coating causes them to resemble reptilian scales, hence the name.
Scale insects feed on a wide variety of plants, and the majority of scale species are considered pests. Some types are economically valuable, such as the cochineal and lac scales. Scale insects' waxy covering makes them quite resistant to pesticides, which are only effective against the juvenile crawler stage. However, scale can be controlled with horticultural oil, which suffocates them, or through biological controls. Soapy water is also reported to be effective against infestations of houseplants.
Female scale insects, unusually for hemiptera, retain their larval form at sexual maturity. Adult males have wings but never feed and die within a day or two. The specifics of their reproductive systems vary considerably within the group, including hermaphroditism and seven forms of parthenogenesis."
Hope this helps
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