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mushibu10

Elephant ear soil with orange bugs! Help!

mushibu10
9 years ago

Hello, so for past month the flys have been increasing indoors.
And now my elephant ear plant freshly potted has a almost like orange layer of clearly distinguishable insects on The top.

Is there a way to fix it? Or shall I remove the soil from whole plant wash the corm and then replant in new soil?

This just isn't fair. It was a new corm too!

Comments (8)

  • mushibu10
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    This is the closest image I can get with mobile.

  • jean001a
    9 years ago

    Can't distinguish specifics other that it looks awfully wet which can foster various critters as well as root rot.

  • Kimmsr
    9 years ago

    The single most common problem we would see at the Master Gardener clinics is potted plants with a too wet soil. Most all critters that live in the soil need a soil that is just about too wet for the plants, especially the bad ones.
    A quick check for soil moisture is to stick your Index Finger into the soil to the first knuckle and if the soil at the end of that finger is wet there is ample water in the soil.
    The color of the larva can sometimes help with identification but there are many other characteristics that need to be considered.

    Here is a link that might be useful: insect larva identification

  • mushibu10
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    It ls watered once a week I had just watered it.

    Okay I went and had a look removed soil there was a corm the size of a crocus corm left. The bugs was all over it! So I put it in bin.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    water.... when the plant needs water ... and that is a function of your media ... rather than on a schedule ...

    if you are using old used media... of which how else would a crocus get in there... you may end up with a bug problem.. in the house.. in winter ...

    see link on how to sterilize potting media ...

    you might want to repot your plant.. based on such ... if you are bringing it inside ...

    properly done.. it would have done away with your rotting bulb issue .. and it might be part of the fly issue .... if not all of it ....

    of course.. it might be easier to go buy new media... but i even sterilize that.. regardless of what the bag claims.....

    so its either a lot of work.. or an invest in new media .... and some lesser work ... go for it ....

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • Kimmsr
    9 years ago

    Depending on the growing medium watering a potted plant even once a week may be too much. If you purchase a growing medium that needs to be sterilized you are buying the wrong stuff from the wrong manufacturer. Maybe, possibly, a seed starting medium might need to be sterilized, although I have not had any reason to do so in some 40 years of starting plants from seed.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    9 years ago

    I'm afraid that I don't recognize these things....I'm not even convinced that they are larvae.

    I wouldn't hesitate in removing the corm from the potting medium, rinsing it off and replanting in a new planting mix. Do not use a seed starting medium, as kimmsr seems to suggest.

    Locate a coarse textured, fast draining mix, bark based if possible. I don't steriize my bagged potting medium.

  • mushibu10
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    First; when I took it from the soil, iTHE EE CORM WAS SIZE OF A crocus.

    So I throw it it it was soft. Over watered.

    Sol. I won't sterilise it unless I use a cheap one. But this w a s mirical grow soil as I know the plant needs food and lots of it!

    Anyway thank you for your help.