From our perspective as indoor bamboo plants, we are generally resilient, but when our growing conditions are not ideal, we become susceptible to attack from several common pests. These tiny invaders disrupt our ability to feed and grow, causing us visible distress. Here is a detailed look at our most frequent adversaries and the methods we respond to best for recovery.
These are nearly invisible to the human eye, but to us, they are a terrible menace. They are not insects but tiny arachnids that thrive in hot, dry conditions—often exactly the environment created by indoor heating. They pierce our leaves and suck out our vital juices, leaving behind a tell-tale pattern of tiny yellow stipples. A severe infestation will cloak us in fine, silky webbing. To help us, increase humidity around our pot by misting our leaves regularly or using a pebble tray. Wash our foliage thoroughly with a strong stream of lukewarm water in the shower or sink to dislodge the mites. For persistent problems, treat us with insecticidal soap or neem oil, ensuring you coat the undersides of our leaves where they hide.
We find these soft-bodied, cottony-white insects particularly odious. They congregate in the protected nooks where our leaves meet the stems, sucking sap and excreting a sticky substance called honeydew. This honeydew can attract sooty mold, which further blocks our sunlight and stresses us. Spot-treat small infestations by dabbing each bug with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol; this dissolves their protective waxy coating. For larger colonies, insecticidal soap or neem oil sprays are effective. Please be persistent and check us every few days, as their egg sacs are well-hidden.
Aphids are small, pear-shaped insects that typically crowd together on our new, tender shoots and the undersides of our young leaves. Like mealybugs, they are sap-suckers that excrete honeydew. Their feeding causes our new growth to become stunted, curled, and distorted. A strong jet of water can often knock these soft-bodied pests off our frame. Insecticidal soaps are highly effective against them. As a preventive measure, avoid over-fertilizing us, as the lush, soft growth from excess nitrogen is highly attractive to aphids.
Scale can be a stubborn foe. In their juvenile "crawler" stage, they move about before attaching themselves to our stems and the veins on our leaves. They then secrete a hard, protective shell under which they reside, immobile, feeding on our sap. They appear as small, raised brown or tan bumps. Treatment involves physically scraping them off with a soft brush or your fingernail. Following this, wiping our stems and leaves with a cloth soaked in soapy water or neem oil will help eliminate any remaining crawlers.
While the adult gnats are simply a nuisance, their larvae in the soil are the real problem for our root systems. They thrive in consistently wet soil, feeding on organic matter and sometimes chewing on our tender root hairs. This can stunt our growth and make us more vulnerable to root rot. The best solution is to allow the top layer of our soil to dry out completely between waterings. This kills the larvae and disrupts their life cycle. Yellow sticky traps can effectively control the adult population flying around our pot.
