The reasons for yellow spots and other damage on the dragon tree are not always due to care errors or an unsuitable location. The often tiny pests sometimes cause problems for the plants when they are not even clearly visible to the naked eye.
What pests attack dragon trees and how do you fight them?
Dragon tree pests can be fungus gnats, various types of louse such as scale and mealybugs or thrips. Control methods include hydroponics, mechanical removal or chemical means. Prevention by regularly wiping the leaves and repotting is recommended.
Sad gnats often come into the house with the potting soil
The so-called fungus gnats are relatively annoying in your own living space, but they don't do anything to the houseplants themselves. The danger to plants like the dragon tree comes from the larvae of these mosquitoes. The female fungus gnats like to lay their eggs in moist plant substrate. You can easily prevent an infestation of fungus gnats by switching to hydroponics when caring for your dragon tree.
Fighting different types of lice
Lice species such as scale or mealybugs can spread easily, especially under the following conditions:
- dry heating air
- very warm temperatures
- undisturbed propagation without wiping off the leaves or repotting
A louse infestation can be unsightly not only because of the yellow spots on the leaves, but also when the white web threads of the mealybugs cover the leaves. In addition to chemical control agents (€9.00 at Amazon), mechanical methods such as scrubbing with soft sponges in combination with a soft soap or paraffin oil solution promise good success in fighting back.
Thrips are usually found on the undersides of leaves
The black-brown thrips are around 1 to 3 mm long and, with their brown-black coloring, should actually be easier to recognize than mealybugs, for example. The common thing about these pests is that they often sit unnoticed on the underside of the leaves and can cause the dragon tree to slowly die without being detected. In addition to the usual products from the spray shelf, mechanical removal of the infestation also helps against thrips.
Tip
To combat thrips and various types of louse, it is recommended to cover the dragon tree with an airtight plastic bag for about three days after showering the leaves and place it in a less sunny place. This is said to be helpful in controlling remaining lice on the leaf axils and other hard-to-reach places.