Unfortunately, geraniums tend to contract various diseases and pests, especially if they are too humid or in a location that is too dark. If there is any pest infestation, you should act quickly, otherwise the plants will be irreparably damaged and other plants may also be affected - pests usually spread very quickly and can then become a plague that is difficult to control.
Even hungry beetles like to nibble on the geranium
Soapy water helps against most geranium pests
Especially when the pest infestation is not too serious, you can use a proven and much more environmentally friendly home remedy instead of the poison bottle: soapy water. The following mixture has proven particularly useful for geraniums:
- a liter of water (ideally rainwater)
- a generous splash of washing-up liquid (those with a citrus scent are very suitable!)
- two tablespoons of cooking oil
Mix this mixture thoroughly and spray the plant all over with it. If the infestation is severe, you can rub the leaves and shoots with a cloth dipped in the lye. Just make sure that the lye does not get into the substrate! In addition, the treatment should be repeated several times at intervals of several days in order to catch the last laid eggs and larvae.
Common pests on geraniums
Most of the pests commonly found on geraniums also infest other plants, which is why rapid action is essential. In addition, these are mostly insects that suck leaf sap, which prefer to attack weakened plants and impair them even more - quite apart from the visually unsightly damage.
thrips
The thrips are sometimes also referred to as "thunder beetles" or "thunder flies". In addition to damage to leaves and shoots, the animals are also considered to be carriers of various viral diseases.
white bow tie
Whiteflies (it's actually a whitefly) are easy to spot - there are numerous white dots on the underside of the leaves, which are the eggs and larvae. You'll also notice clouds of small, white flies rising quickly as soon as you so much as touch your infested geraniums.
aphids
The black aphids, which are up to seven millimeters long depending on the species, prefer to settle on the underside of the leaves and suck off the leaf sap with their proboscis. The animals secrete sticky and sweet excrements, which in turn attract other pests (e.g. ants) and fungi (soot mold).
spider mites
The tiny little spider mites can hardly be seen with the naked eye, but their feeding damage is even more so. These pests tend to appear in dry and hot weather.
tips
You can prevent pest infestation by planting and caring for your geraniums in a way that is appropriate to the species, making sure that the planting distance is sufficiently large and also regularly removing withered and dried-up parts of the plant.