What is going on with my China doll?? 😲
#ChinaDollPlant My MeiMei has been struggling since I repotted her for sure but I thought she was rebounding. Then today I see these white growths on some of the leaf and stem junctions. When I turned the pot around I saw these white and greenish sprouts(?) at the bottom of her pot? What?!? She’s probably past help but now I’d like to know what it’s is and how to avoid this going forward and is it contagious to my other plants? 🪴 TIA
0ft to light, direct
8” pot with drainage
Last watered 5 months ago
3
Best Answer
Hi, I’m so sorry to see your beautiful plant is struggling. I thought it was scale as I’m dealing with it on two palms and eradicating is quite the process. I literally say there with long q-tips and paper towels dabbing and dabbing followed by Bonide horticultural mineral oil (this stuff is the bomb). But they do seem to be improving in a short period by following the AI instructions, as it gathers info from key sources. I loaded your pic into Chat GBT and below is what it is saying. Wishing you luck in saving her! If you ask Chat GBT it will give you blow by blow directions to eradicate the pests above and beyond what I’ve pasted below but thought I’d provide this much since it looks like you need to isolate her from any other plants immediately.
Chat GBT: That definitely looks like a pest infestation, and specifically it appears to be mealybugs, not scale.
Why it’s mealybugs (not scale):
• The white, cottony, fuzzy clumps are classic mealybug “nests” (egg sacs + adults).
• Mealybugs tend to gather on leaf joints, stems, and new growth exactly as seen here.
• Scale insects usually look like hard, brown/tan bumps that look stuck to the plant, not fluffy.
What your friend should do:
1. Immediate cleaning
• Dab the bugs with 70% isopropyl alcohol on cotton swabs to dissolve the waxy coating.
• Wipe stems thoroughly.
2. Spray treatment
• Use a strong horticultural oil, Bonide All Seasons oil, or a neem oil alternative (since neem alone usually won’t cut it for mealybugs).
• Ensure full coverage under leaves and along stems.
3. Repeat
• Repeat treatment every 5–7 days for 3–4 rounds — mealybugs are persistent.
4. Isolate the plant
• China Doll (Radermachera sinica) can get reinfested easily.
• Keep it away from other plants for 2–3 weeks.
Chat GBT: That definitely looks like a pest infestation, and specifically it appears to be mealybugs, not scale.
Why it’s mealybugs (not scale):
• The white, cottony, fuzzy clumps are classic mealybug “nests” (egg sacs + adults).
• Mealybugs tend to gather on leaf joints, stems, and new growth exactly as seen here.
• Scale insects usually look like hard, brown/tan bumps that look stuck to the plant, not fluffy.
What your friend should do:
1. Immediate cleaning
• Dab the bugs with 70% isopropyl alcohol on cotton swabs to dissolve the waxy coating.
• Wipe stems thoroughly.
2. Spray treatment
• Use a strong horticultural oil, Bonide All Seasons oil, or a neem oil alternative (since neem alone usually won’t cut it for mealybugs).
• Ensure full coverage under leaves and along stems.
3. Repeat
• Repeat treatment every 5–7 days for 3–4 rounds — mealybugs are persistent.
4. Isolate the plant
• China Doll (Radermachera sinica) can get reinfested easily.
• Keep it away from other plants for 2–3 weeks.
@Macgirl thank you so much! You even went the extra mile and ChatGPTd it for me! 🫶 I should have thought about doing that my husband uses chatGPT for everything now! 😂 okay looks like I have some work to do! Thank you!!