Hello, I am new to gardening this summer and got a beautiful black sky Rex begonia for half off at a nursery two weeks ago. About five days ago I noticed a white fuzzy bug that I later id as a mealy bug. After doing research online I began spot treating the bugs and eggs with isopropyl alcohol on a qtip and spraying the leaves with a 50/50 solution of water and isopropyl alcohol with a little dish soap. I did this for several days but as I read more online I realized they could be in the soil too. So the day before yesterday I repotted and completely dissected the roots to remove any possible bugs (truly evil that perlite looks so much like mealys). Post repotting in completely new moist soil now my begonia looks like it's dying. Any advice on helping rehab her so she doesn't die would be great! 😭 Do I just need to be patient and hope for the best at this point? Thank you 🌸
