Aloe gall mite infestation is eventually fatal to the plant, and the mites can spread and infect nearby healthy plants.
Unless the Aloe is rare or endangered, it is best to remove the entire Aloe, seal it in a plastic bag, and send it to the dump. Sigh. That was Aloe tauri. It looked like this not too long ago:
If the Aloe is rare or endangered, one must cut out the gall and repeatedly treat the remainder of the plant with miticides. Generally, miticides are extremely toxic. So I bagged up my A. tauri and sent it to the dump. I'm not happy. But that's Aloe growing.
Maybe I should stick to Agaves and Yuccas. But the Agave weevil is out there. Noooooo!
Well that sucks! (gross too). A couple of years before he went rounds with the Agave weevil my brother did battle with a moth that was attacking his Yuccas (or was it an ant? Can't remember) whatever it was did a lot of damage. There are a lot of hungry, bad critters out there.
ReplyDeleteIt feels strange, but then totally logical, that there'd be pests for hot dry zones as well as the ones we deal with in wet cool zones. Sorry you had to lose your aloe tauri. But I would employ heaven and earth and noxious chemicals if I were to face an infestation on that gorgeous agave.
ReplyDeleteIt's upsetting when you loose a rare or favourite plant, and worrying when it is to something that can spread. The choice of chemicals verses bin, is always a tough one. Lets hope it is one you rarely have to make.
ReplyDeleteI lost a four by ten foot bed of aloes to the mites. It was heart-breaking, and it was a chore to pull them all out. I am down to just a few, all of them in pots, in case the mite returns.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea there was an Agave weevil. Sigh.
I decided that the Aloe Mite is the cost of growing Aloes, just as Rust is the cost of growing roses. It hurts, but you just have to deal with it. So if they get it, they get it, and I deal with it.
ReplyDeleteOuch Renee, that must have been painful indeed. Sorry to hear that. Agave weevil seems more common in AZ than here, but I'm sure its lurking out there somewhere...