Pest identification
What's eating my titan arum?
Spider Mites
Signs: Fine pale stippling on the large leaf; fine webbing on undersides in dry, warm conditions.
Control: Raise humidity; wipe leaves with a damp cloth; apply predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis) or neem oil.
Mealybugs
Signs: White cottony masses at leaf-petiole junctions and on the corm where it meets the soil.
Control: Dab with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; treat with systemic insecticide such as imidacloprid for severe infestations.
Fungus Gnats
Signs: Larvae chew fine roots and corm surface in wet compost; adults are a nuisance indicator of overwatering.
Control: Allow the top layer of compost to dry between waterings; apply Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) drenches or yellow sticky traps.
Keep titan arum pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Titan Arum pests — FAQ
What is eating my titan arum?
Titan Arum is grown almost exclusively in botanical garden greenhouses, so it faces typical warm-greenhouse pests: spider mites thrive in dry indoor air, mealybugs colonise the base of the petiole, and fungus gnats breed in the consistently moist, rich compost needed for the massive corm.
How do I get rid of spider mites on titan arum?
Fine pale stippling on the large leaf; fine webbing on undersides in dry, warm conditions. Raise humidity; wipe leaves with a damp cloth; apply predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis) or neem oil.
How do I get rid of mealybugs on titan arum?
White cottony masses at leaf-petiole junctions and on the corm where it meets the soil. Dab with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; treat with systemic insecticide such as imidacloprid for severe infestations.
How do I get rid of fungus gnats on titan arum?
Larvae chew fine roots and corm surface in wet compost; adults are a nuisance indicator of overwatering. Allow the top layer of compost to dry between waterings; apply Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) drenches or yellow sticky traps.