Like vegetable crops, flowers need protection from pests – springtails, podura, spider mites, miner beetles, thrips, aphids and various types of nematodes (root, leaf and stem) are especially dangerous for flowering plants. The fight against pests of flowers, as with pests of seedlings, must be carried out methodically and purposefully – using the most effective means.
How to get rid of pests on springtail and podur flowers
Springtails and podura are small wingless insect pests of flowers that are ubiquitous, but most often harm when growing seedlings in protected ground.
Many of them are found in manure, soil, and decaying organic matter.
Springtails and podura can damage germinating seeds. On the cotyledon leaves, they gnaw out small dimples, sores, resembling damage to cruciferous fleas. For healthy plants whose leaves do not touch the ground, insects are not dangerous. However, if the root neck or roots are damaged by pests and affected by diseases, then springtails can feed on decaying tissues, contributing to the death of plants.
How to deal with these pests of flowers in the garden? In order to reduce the number of springtails and podura, it is necessary not to overmoisten the soil, and also to add a solution of the Actellik preparation under the plants.
How to spray flowers from tick pests
Spider mites are dangerous pests of garden flowers and other plants, including most annual crops . They feed on the cell sap of plants, cause a deep metabolic disorder. Ultimately, this leads to a general inhibition of plant development, flower crops lose their decorative effect, and their life span is reduced.
Ticks in an active state live, as a rule, on the underside of the leaves, braiding with cobwebs.
Leaves damaged by a tick become discolored, and with a strong lesion, they acquire a marble hue, turn brown and dry. In case of severe damage, plants may die.
Adult mites are greenish-yellow in color, very small (0.3-0.5 mm long), larvae are three times smaller. During the season, the tick gives several generations. Its mass reproduction is observed in dry and hot weather. The optimum air temperature for the development of mites is +25 C and the relative air humidity is 60-70%. Adult females overwinter under plant debris and in the upper soil layer.
To combat these insects, it is necessary to collect and destroy plant debris and weeds in time. How to treat flowers from pests of spider mites? Effective means are Fufanon or Iskra-M. Inhibits the reproduction of ticks and Actellik. Of the biological preparations, you can use such remedies for pests of flowers as “Kleshebit”, “Agraberpin”, “Fitoberm” or “Aparin”.
How to treat flowers from miner pests
Miner beetles are small two-winged insects, the harmful stage of which is the larvae. They make long winding white passages on the upper side of the leaf.
Look at the photo – these flower pests gnaw out the leaf tissue, leaving the upper skin intact:
The larvae pupate on the underside of the leaf under the epidermis. Leaves damaged by these flower pests die prematurely.
Miner beetles harm many flower crops, including antirrinum , zinnia , delphinium , anemone , calendula. Also, these flower pests damage daisies , chrysanthemums , and annual dahlias .
How to spray flowers from miner pests that destroy plantings? With a significant development of miners, it is necessary to spray the plants with one of the insecticides (“Spark Double Effect”, “Inta-Vir”, “Bison”, “Confidor”, “Commander”, “Fufanon” or other similar drug).
Means for the treatment of flowers from pests of thrips and aphids
Thrips are small insects about 1.5 mm long, the body is dark brown, elongated.
Larvae are wingless, yellow, even smaller – 1 mm. Thrips lay their eggs in leaf tissue. The larvae emerging from the eggs stay in groups on the underside of the leaves, adult insects and larvae suck the juices out of them. The upper side of the leaf, damaged by many injections, acquires a silvery sheen. With a large accumulation of pests, the surface of the leaves is covered with excrement in the form of a black coating. As a result of settling with thrips, the leaves turn yellow, dry out and fall off.
How to get rid of these pests on flowers in the garden? An effective way to control thrips is to spray the plants with any insecticide when pests appear. If repeated spraying is necessary, the preparations should be alternated.
Aphids are the most common pest. Insects 2-3 mm long. Masses accumulate on the leaves and green shoots of plants.
These pests of garden flowers reproduce very quickly. They deform leaves, shoots, flowers, oppress and weaken plants, reduce their decorative effect. By sucking large amounts of sap from plants, aphids excrete excrement in the form of a sticky liquid that pollutes the leaves. Various species of aphids are inhabited by escholzia , helichrysum, zinnia, celosia , nasturtium , poppy , calendula, etc.
When aphids appear, to treat flowers from these pests, it is necessary to spray with one of the insecticides, as well as against miner beetles.
Pests of roots, leaves and stems of nematode flowers
Root nematode , also called the gall nematode, is a serious pest of flower roots, which is a small colorless worm with a filamentous body up to 1.5 mm long.
Leaf nematode – microscopic worms, colorless up to 1 mm long, move quickly. In places of damage, the leaf tissue becomes discolored and yellowish spots that are translucent to the light are formed. Over time, diseased leaves turn brown, dry out or rot.
The stem nematode is a small thread-like worm up to 1.7 mm long, a serious pest of flower crops. Damaged plants are characterized by an ugly development of leaf stems and flowers.
It has been repeatedly proven that the presence of microscopic nematode worms in the soil reduces the decorative effect and yield of almost all crops. It is because of them that such strict observance of crop rotation is required in many respects, the non-return of the same crops to the old place within 3-10 years.
Flowers against pests tagetes “Grunt-control”
One of the effective biological methods for the destruction of many pests, including nematodes in the soil, is the use of the “Grunt-control” tagetes.
It is the most effective Tagetes cultivar for root nematode biological control, killing over 95% of nematodes within a three-month flowering period, while soil sterilization only reduces soil infestation by 80%.
Nematodes are most common on sandy loamy soils, where Tagetes grows especially well. Used as green manure fertilizer, flowers against pests tagetes “Grunt-control” increase the content of organic matter in the soil and improve its structure.
Sow in May directly into the ground. For good seedlings, keep the soil moist for the first 4-5 days after sowing. Keep weeds out as this increases nematode levels. Cultivation period for maximum effect: minimum 100 days.
Plant height 80 cm. Planting pattern 20 x 30 cm. Blooms from June to October.