Chillies are really simple plant! Unfortunately pest love them so much! The plant is very easily attacked by mealy bug!
Mealybug females feed on plant sap, normally in roots or other crevices. They attach themselves to the plant and secrete a powdery wax layer (therefore the name mealybug) used for protection while they suck the plant juices. The males on the other hand, are short-lived as they do not feed at all as adults and only live to fertilize the females. Male citrus mealy bugs fly to the females and resemble fluffy gnats.
I have to check the leaves every week to see if any of them have set the colony! Every now and then I have to clean the pest using my hand as I try to minimize the pesticide but they come back sooner or later!
So far the chilli plant is surviving the attacked! Some of the leaves have changed to become yellow due to this pest but the plant look good so far! Every week I have ample of chillies to harvest!
Red chillies in wet market cost RM20/kg or about USD 6++/kg. It's really expensive and I'm grateful to have the plant in the garden!
Not something we grow as I hate handling chillies.
ReplyDeleteHi Malar, a really good harvest. We have chillies everyday; as cut chillies, in curries, sambals - but we consume more of the tiny, fiery-hot chilly padis.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! How wonderful to have chillies at your own yard! Those chillies are amazing. They look like those from the market. Very good job, Malar! So don't need to buy any chilli right? who cares at what price they are selling haha... ;-)
ReplyDeleteYour chillis are doing very well under your green thumb.
ReplyDeleteSue: Chillies - mealy bug = good harvest! ;)
ReplyDeleteStiletto: Chilli padi? Wow!
Stephanie: hahahaa...
Autumn belle: ;)