Pest identification
What's eating my dracontium gigas?
Slugs & snails
Signs: Entire tender emerging shoot can be devoured before it fully unfurls; ragged edges and slime trails are the signs.
Control: Encircle the emerging shoot with ferric phosphate pellets; use copper tape on containers; hand-pick nightly.
Caterpillars
Signs: Holes and missing sections in leaflets across the large compound leaf; frass present at feeding sites.
Control: Inspect regularly and hand-pick; apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray to young caterpillars.
Mealybugs
Signs: Cottony white masses inside the petiole sheath and at the base of the stem; weakens the plant over time.
Control: Treat directly with 70% isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; follow with neem oil spray; repeat fortnightly.
Spider mites
Signs: Fine pale stippling across leaflets and faint webbing on undersides in warm, dry greenhouse conditions.
Control: Raise humidity; spray leaflet undersides with water; apply neem oil or insecticidal soap.
Keep dracontium gigas pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Dracontium gigas pests — FAQ
What is eating my dracontium gigas?
Dracontium gigas, one of the largest aroids, produces a single massive compound leaf from a substantial tuber. Slugs pose serious risk to the emerging shoot, caterpillars can skeletonise leaflets, and mealybugs shelter in the petiole sheath. Spider mites appear indoors or in greenhouse cultivation during dry periods. Guarding the irreplaceable emerging leaf is the priority.
How do I get rid of slugs & snails on dracontium gigas?
Entire tender emerging shoot can be devoured before it fully unfurls; ragged edges and slime trails are the signs. Encircle the emerging shoot with ferric phosphate pellets; use copper tape on containers; hand-pick nightly.
How do I get rid of caterpillars on dracontium gigas?
Holes and missing sections in leaflets across the large compound leaf; frass present at feeding sites. Inspect regularly and hand-pick; apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray to young caterpillars.
How do I get rid of mealybugs on dracontium gigas?
Cottony white masses inside the petiole sheath and at the base of the stem; weakens the plant over time. Treat directly with 70% isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; follow with neem oil spray; repeat fortnightly.
How do I get rid of spider mites on dracontium gigas?
Fine pale stippling across leaflets and faint webbing on undersides in warm, dry greenhouse conditions. Raise humidity; spray leaflet undersides with water; apply neem oil or insecticidal soap.