Help the development of the site, sharing the article with friends!
When ornamental plants show mottled leaves and stunted shoots, insect pests are often at work. Many of them can be seen on closer inspection. A fight with home remedies should be done as soon as possible to achieve an effect.
Lice love flowers
lice
They belong to the plant pests, which feed on the juices of the tissue. They have stinging mouthparts with which they pierce the sap pathways. Brown discoloration occurs at these puncture sites. The insects often leave sticky secretions on the leaves. They form a breeding ground for sooty mold fungi, which do not endanger the plants. The mold lawn is difficult to wash off and looks ugly.
Recognize typical pests:
- aphids: form colonies on shoots, on the underside of leaves and in leaf axils
- Mealybugs and Mealybugs: produce a waxy substance resembling cotton balls
- scale insects: are protected by a firm waxy dorsal shield
This helps against a lice infestation
Especially in the case of mealybugs and scale insects, which are well protected by their secretions, rapid control at an early stage is necessary. Once they develop their protective armor, household remedies prove less successful. Hose the insects off the flowers with a strong jet of water.
You can spray non-sensitive plants with a solution of one liter of water and 50 grams of soft soap (€44.90) to kill the pests. Alcohol increases effectiveness. A watery spray with rapeseed oil leaves an oil film on the leaves, under which the harmful insects can no longer breathe.
mites
A spider mite infestation becomes noticeable when the plants are already damaged. The eight-legged insects, which are less than a millimeter in size, suck plant sap. They need dry and warm temperatures, so they mainly appear on indoor plants in the winter months. Affected plants show mottled leaves with yellowish or silver spots. If the infestation is very advanced, the foliage turns light green to white and finally dries up.
How to deal with mite infestation
To combat spider mites on indoor plants, you can spray the affected specimens with a rapeseed oil solution. Repeat the treatment after seven to ten days because many flowers are sensitive to oils. Keep the humidity high to prevent re-infestation.
tips
The bag method helps with sensitive plants. Spray the plant with water and put a white garbage bag over it. Air them out after two to three days and repeat the process until all spider mites are gone.
white flies
These whitefly insects find ideal living conditions at temperatures above 20 degrees and high humidity. Their larvae, like black aphids, feed on plant sap. Ichneumon wasps (€22.99) parasitize the fly larvae, which die off after two weeks. Macrolophus pygmaeus is a species of assassin bug that not only hunts whiteflies, but also destroys spider mites and aphids.