GardenBanter.co.uk - Centipede infestation?

Quote:

Originally Posted by (Post 716742)

When I left the office for the three-day Memorial Day vacation, my
potted square bamboo (quadrangularis) was doing fine. It was small
and green and I'd watered it the day before.

On return to the office, most of the leaves on the plant have yellowed
and are dry and brittle, though there is still one remaining green
culm. The soil is still moist, so I don't think it's being
underwatered.

I did some further exploration into the soil and determined that the
soil is infested with many many roughly 1/2" long centipedes (or
possibly millipedes, they're small enough that counting the number of
feet per segment is tricky).

This leads me to several questions:
1) Are centipedes and/or millipedes harmful for young, small bamboo?
2) Are there any effective pest control methods which will not further
affect my bamboo?

Do first take a moment to distinguish whether they are centipedes or millipedes. If you find some pictures of typical specimens, eg, on wikipedia, you will see that they usually look rather different without needing to count 2 (centipede) or 4 (millipede) legs per segment. Centipedes are generally wider and flatter, and often yellow to mid-brown, whereas millipedes are more rounded and tubelike, and generally darker grey/brown/black colours. When you know it, the locomotion method is also distinctive between them.

Centipedes are carnivorous, so if it is centipedes you have got, then they aren't doing anything to your plant. But they may indicate that your plant has got some other pest that they are feeding on.

Most millipedes feed on decaying matter, and as such are a benefit to the (outdoor) gardener in turning plant waste into plant nutrient. But unfortunately some do feed on the roots of healthy plants, and these kind are a known nuisance of pot plants, especially in greenhouses. Millipedes can only live in damp places, so a common method of deterring them in pot plants is to let the soil dry out between waterings. When the soil has dried out such that it leaves a crack between pot and soil, you can also apply household insecticides to the soil surface (top and sides), which may further assist in getting rid of them.

Your plant does sound sick, and whether it is already so far gone that it is unrescuable, I can't say. But another possibility to consider is whether you drowned it.