It's not for nothing that the elephant's foot is considered easy to care for and robust. Pests are found on this plant especially when it is not feeling well and diseases only rarely occur. This makes the elephant foot attractive for beginners.
What pests occur on the elephant's foot and how do you combat them?
Potential pests on elephant feet include spider mites, scale insects, mealy bugs and thrips. To combat this, you can spray infected leaves with water or use soap solution. Higher humidity prevents new infestations.
What pests can I find on the elephant's foot?
As long as your elephant foot is well cared for in a suitable location, you don't have to worry about any pests. Spider mites or scale insects appear from time to time, and thrips or mealybugs can also occasionally occur. Especially when buying, pay attention to possible pests, because you don't know how the elephant's foot was cared for and whether the location was optimal.
You can easily recognize a mealybug infestation by the web, which is reminiscent of small cotton balls. Spider mites reveal themselves through their fine webs on the edge of the leaf or in the leaf axils. Thrips can be seen as small dark dots.
Possible pests on elephant foot:
- Spider mites
- Schidlice
- mealybugs
- Thrips
What can I do against pests?
If your elephant foot is only slightly infested with pests, then try rinsing it off. A relatively powerful jet of water drives away the unpleasant animals. To prevent the soil and roots from getting too wet, put the pot in a plastic bag before spraying the elephant's foot with room temperature water.
If the infestation is severe, pure water may no longer be sufficient. Here you can add a little dishwashing liquid or soap to the water. The trade also offers some chemical agents against pests, such as special ornamental plant sprays or combined fertilizer sticks, which also contain an agent against pests.
So that no more pests appear in the future, the infestation should first be combated effectively. To do this, you can isolate individual infected plants so that neighboring plants cannot become infected. After successful control, keep the humidity so high that the various pests no longer feel comfortable there. Some of them prefer dry air.
Tip
Some pests such as spider mites or scale insects occur primarily in dry (heating) air. Increasing the humidity drives away the pests and protects against re-infestation.
