No photo as yet, but our pet lotus plant has fallen foul of the dreaded insect (presumably?) infestation, which eats through the stems of new shoots and buds. We let the water get too low, and they arrived in moments. Anyone know what it is, and how to treat it? They look a little like aphids, and do drown once the water is replenished. Khmer daughter tells me rice gets the same problem at times and her mother uses some form of insecticide. The fish don't seem overly interested in them, which is a shame.

You might find a few leads here https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... otus+stems

Username Taken wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 02, 2019 9:09 am

You might find a few leads here https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... otus+stems

Thanks - the first link suggests shooting them with a strong blast of water.

StroppyChops wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 02, 2019 4:07 pm

Username Taken wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 02, 2019 9:09 am

You might find a few leads here https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... otus+stems

Thanks - the first link suggests shooting them with a strong blast of water.

One of the other links suggests spraying them with cooking oil, after blasting them with water. Then thoroughly cleaning out the pot.

You may or may not want to try these ones.

Username Taken wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 02, 2019 4:29 pm

You may or may not want to try these ones.

Heh! Nice try buddy!

I would try soapy water or a diluted mix of water and lemon juice.

Duncan wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 02, 2019 4:56 pm

I would try soapy water or a diluted mix of water and lemon juice.

There are fish in the tank, so the lemon juice would probably make a nice marinade, and then some salt! Seriously though, it's looking like I'll have to take the plant out of the pond and keep washing it by hand. I guess the other thing to try as a last resort is to cut off all the stems, flush the submerged parts, and see if it takes off again.