The elephant's foot is a popular houseplant because it is easy to care for and very decorative. Actually, its leaves should be gray-green to green, without spots or spots. However, sometimes it gets white, cottony-looking spots. You should do something about it.
What to do if there are white spots on the elephant's foot?
White spots on an elephant's foot indicates a mealybug infestation. We recommend cotton swabs soaked in oil, milk, whey, soft soapy water, spirit or a sharp jet of water for treatment. A change in location, shade or places slowly getting used to the sun have a preventive effect.
Where do the white spots come from?
Although the elephant's foot is not particularly susceptible to diseases and pests, it does suffer from them occasionally. The white cottony spots indicate a mealybug infestation. Since these can be very stubborn, you should do something about them immediately.
How do I get rid of the stains?
Mealybugs can be quite stubborn, so you should react as quickly as possible if you spot traces of these creatures. If the infestation is very small, you can remove the cottony spots with a cotton swab dipped in oil. However, this is very difficult when the infestation is severe. Hosing or spraying the plant is more likely to help here.
You should proceed in such a way that no pests can be washed into the soil. Various liquids can be used, such as milk or whey, diluted spirit or lye with soft soap. A strong jet of water often helps. The treatment often has to be repeated once or several times.
Possible remedies against mealybugs:
- cotton swabs soaked in oil
- Milk or whey
- Soap suds
- Spirit
- Shadow
- spray with a sharp jet of water
- after getting used to full sun
How do I prevent re-infestation?
Changing the location can be helpful in controlling pests, but is hardly suitable as a sole measure. To prevent further infestation, a change of location is definitely recommended.
Mealybugs don't feel particularly comfortable in the shade, so they should rarely or never appear there. The situation is similar with the blazing sun. However, you should slowly get your elephant foot used to this. This will take a few days.
Tip
Even if the elephant's foot is a houseplant, staying in the fresh air is very good for it in summer.
