Sunday 28 February 2010

Death of a Prayer Plant

My plant is dying and I'm trying to decide what to do about it. It's infected with little mealy bugs. I've gone to the internet and asked what to do and it's said wash the leaves, spray crushed pepper water on it, buy a spray, treat it systemically. I've tried washing the leaves. It hasn't helped. I've sprayed it with a safe for food chemically spray. It hasn't helped. Now I'm in search of a systemic solution which I hope will work. The internet has told me that these gross little aphid like creatures suck the sap out of the veins of the leaves and that to kill them, I need to get something into those veins. Meanwhile, the leaves are browning and shriveling up and the nasty little creatures are making webs on the curled edges and generally grossing me out. Every night, my plant folds up its leaves and prays for a cure. I don't want to poison it or myself, but I'd quite happily poison the little bugs. What to do about it, though? Selective chemical use? Is that okay because it's within my room, not getting into open air or water or soil sources? I hope so. This plant is my favorite and I want to save it from a slow and ugly death. So far, these bugs have only sort of spread to one other plant. The other four plants are safe. I'm trying to keep it that way. Hope my plan works.

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