Hi all, I'm hoping to find out what's wrong with one of my favorite plants. I think it's a lampranthus. It's not doing very well and I want to figure out what kind of pest it has so I can treat it. Thanks so much for any advice =)
@percythetrain welcome to GS and nice to have you with us...sorry but i'm unable to ID it for you but other members may help you but if it is an lampranthus this link mentions about the care and diseases https://www.thespruce.com/caring-for-ice-plants-lampranthus-1402887
I do not see any evidence of pests or at least none that can be seen ! How are you caring for it ? The most common problem with succulents, if it is a houseplant, is not enough sun and too much water ! Is the damaged area the part that was farthest from the window or mostly in the shade ? Hard to tell if this is an inside or outside pic !
Thanks so much for replying Gail and Mart I'm not entirely sure whether it's a lampranthus or a carpobrotus, but it is some type of ice plant. The strangest thing is it was doing very well in the winter, but as spring approached it got yellower and yellower (I'm in the southern hemisphere) and now it looks pretty bad. I have this one in a balcony so it gets partial shade in the afternoon but it does get a fair amount of sun earlier in the day. I did notice some white spider-web like stuff but it was very little, on only a few leaves. I didn't see any bugs either. Should I repot it with cactus soil? I have it in regular potting soil. I wonder if that might be bothering it. Although I took some cuttings off it and placed them in regular soil and they seem to be doing much better than the parent plant, for some reason.
Hi Carolyn! I actually never fertilized it . I recently bought a bunch of plant care items, like insecticidal soap and it came with an organic fertilizer. Should I use it? I was thinking I'd get rid of the pest first but now I'm not so sure there is a pest haha
My experience with many succulents is that the older they get,, the worse they look ! Every so often they just need to be cut back and allowed to re-grow ! Not sure if thats your problem but it has been mine ! I would snip off the bad parts and root the ones you can ! Then repot the rooted parts with the parent plant or leave in a separate pot as you wish ! Some sand mixed with the potting soil may help or just some local dirt ! I would feed the plant with the organic fertilizer ! Or just get some Miracle Grow at the home center !
Thanks so much for the advice Mart, will be taking some more cuttings. I did notice that the little cuttings are doing better than the older plant I do have some news though, I think I found some kind of woolly insect. Here's a photo of one and the white cotton-like substance. I found the bug in a nearby geranium cutting but I'm pretty sure it's also in the affected succulent as I saw a small amount of white goo on some of its leaves too. If it is a scale bug, should I use the insecticidal soap, neem or brimstone? I got all 3 as part of a plant care deal but no idea how to use them properly lol.
By any chance do you have a dog ?? Try using a tbsp of dog or cat flea shampoo in a pint of water !! Just spray and leave it alone !! No more bugs !! If you are organic.. use the cat spray or shampoo with pyrethrin,, it is approved for organics !!
Hi Mart, thanks for the advice! I ended up taking some healthy cuttings and replanting them. Hopefully they'll grow into healthy plants. I really like this succulent, it has pretty orange flowers. The parent plant isn't doing great even after I applied some insecticidal soap but at least now I'll have new plants if it doesn't recover. I don't have a car or dog but will consider getting some flew shampoo just for the plants
