The greenhouse climate that we create for plants in the house makes them defenseless against many diseases. Most pests do well at home. Abundantly fertilizing the soil indoor flower, we give a reason for fungus to develop, and spider mites and other insects love dry and hot air during winter heating. What measures should be taken to ensure that plants in the house are exposed to diseases and pest attacks as little as possible?
As soon as If anything comes to light, the following measures should be taken:
How to deal with pests?
small insect white, belonging to the white-winged family, has more than five hundred subspecies. Plants in greenhouses most often suffer from it. This rather dangerous sucking pest got its name due to the whitish coating on its wings. The female leaves the eggs on bottom side leaf and after two weeks midges appear on it. The larvae stick so tightly to the leaf that it is often very difficult to wash them off with a solution. It is they who cause harm, since they feed on the juice from the leaves and stems.
They fight whiteflies using a solution of methyl alcohol and water, diluted in a 1:1 ratio. A solution of laundry soap also helps a lot. You have to wipe every leaf of the plant, and if some parts of it are severely affected, it is better to remove them altogether. U home flower clean the pot upper layer land and treat the soil with intexide.
If the leaves are small or the plant is planted in the garden, then simply spray it with a solution from a spray bottle. Be sure to ventilate the room after working with chemicals. Sometimes you have to repeat the processing several times.
To combat aphids, the drug Derris is used, as well as ordinary soapy water. Decoctions of tobacco and wormwood have proven themselves to be quite good.
Most often, aphids attack flowering plants. For example, fuchsias and roses.
Thrips and scale insects
Thrips settle on the underside of the leaf blade of ficus, palm trees and dracaenas. Among all indoor flowers These are the plants that are most susceptible to thrips attacks. The palm scale insect prefers all types of domestic palms. Get rid of insects using insecticides, which are used to spray the plant, and also carry out root cultivation of the soil in the pot.
Drugs to combat: Photoform, Aktara and Arpaci. Remember to wear gloves when processing flowers and ventilate the room.
This white bug is very difficult to notice due to its miniature size. It usually settles in the axils of leaves in a group and feeds on plant sap. If treatment is not started in time, the plant may die. Favorable conditions for scale insect reproduction are high humidity and temperatures above twenty-five degrees.
Get rid of scale insects using Photoform or Actellik solutions. And a product such as a soap solution with alcohol, taken in equal parts and thoroughly mixed, also has a good effect on killing these insects. Garlic infusion also helps olive oil, diluted in water . The leaves are wiped with these solutions, paying Special attention sinuses or sprayed from a spray bottle.
The size of these insects barely reaches one millimeter. They are difficult to detect initial stage penetration, but subsequently characteristic features the presence of a tick can be determined.
The plant is treated with the help of drugs: Agrovertin, Oberon and Castor bean. They also use folk remedies such as; infusion of dandelion flowers, tincture of onion or garlic. Helps get rid of ticks hot water, for which they wipe the leaves with a sponge dipped in boiling water.
To rid the plant of woodlice, you will have to transplant it into another pot with new soil. Be sure to rinse the roots thoroughly and keep them in warm water longer. Thus, woodlice float to the surface of the water, after which they are removed.
Externally, centipedes look like caterpillars. They can get into the house only if the plant for a long time was on the balcony or standing in the garden. Centipedes love moisture. If a flower is watered a lot and abundantly, then their appearance is provoked.
Millipedes are caught manually using various traps. You can put a flat object next to the flower, under which they will crawl, and then simply remove them.
They are fought with sticky tape, on which they, like ordinary flies, sit. Such tapes should be hung directly near the plant, and in extreme cases, you can use chemicals. These are such products as: Aktara, Confidor and Karbofos. They treat the leaves and stem of the plant.
These are small thread-like worms that live on and feed on plant roots. They rarely appear in indoor flowers and only if they spent the whole summer in the garden. Most often they can be found in southern, tropical plants. When favorable conditions
– heat and moisture, nematodes can eat the entire root in one season.
If an indoor flower is sick, there is no point in treating it. It is not recommended to use such chemicals at home, and the likelihood of infection through tools or a pot is very high, so they simply get rid of the flower.
Onion root mites
These mites are very tenacious and remain in the scales of bulbous plants even during storage. Often, when purchasing an onion at the market or in a dubious place, you can get contaminated material. If the scales are covered in brown dust, then the bulb may have been infected by a mite. If the infection is severe, you may even notice hollow passages inside.
Fungal diseases and measures to combat them
They are the most dangerous for indoor plants. Fighting fungi is difficult, and recognizing it in time is even more difficult. Unlike parasitic insects, fungal spores are not visible to the naked eye, but they often start in the ground.
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HOUSEPLANT PESTS, PREVENTION AND CONTROL.
PESTS
How to avoid appearing indoor pests? No one is immune from this. An attack by pests such as aphids or scale insects can be considered a disaster, because... they attack many types of plants, while other pests are more selective and prefer individual species. If a pest or signs of its appearance are detected, urgent measures should be taken:
1. If any pest of indoor plants is detected, you should try to remove the pests mechanically by wiping the leaves and stems with a sponge soaked in soapy water or alcohol.
2. It is imperative to remove all damaged buds, flowers, leaves and shoots. 
3. Immediately isolate the affected plant. 4. If a pest is found on one of the plants, then all other plants should be immediately inspected. If some adult pests are visible to the naked eye if you look closely, their numerous larvae are completely invisible. 5. Eliminate the causes, if possible, accompanying the appearance of pests. For example, dry air contributes to the appearance of spider mites - take measures to increase air humidity.
It is worth remembering that all pest control chemicals are not safe for humans and animals, birds and fish. They all release toxic substances. Therefore, if it is possible to fight pests with folk remedies, i.e. herbs, alcohol infusions etc., as well as biological plant protection products, then you should definitely try them first.
Be aware that not all plants are equally susceptible to pest damage. Some, for example, roses - who doesn’t eat them - and aphids and thirpses and scale insects and mites. Moreover, if from other plants the same mite can be easily removed using a soap solution, then with such susceptible plants as roses this will not help; most often only a strong remedy can give a positive result.
Beetle If you decide to fight with pesticides, then take precautions when working, do not abuse these products, thoroughly ventilate the rooms after working with them. And most importantly, keep chemicals out of the reach of children and animals!
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PESTS
Whitefly.
These small flying insects, up to 3mm in size, look like small white moths. The body is yellowish, 2 pairs of wings are covered with a white dusty coating. They are usually found on the underside of the leaf. The larvae are oblong-oval in shape and pale green in color. Pest eggs can be found in the form of small grayish grains on the leaves. Larvae and adult insects suck the juice from the leaves and leave a sugary secretion on which a sooty fungus develops, polluting the plants. Damaged leaves become covered with whitish spots, turn yellow and fall off. Whitefly infestation has a depressing effect on the plant. The most dangerous thing is that it is a carrier of viral diseases. It multiplies quickly.
Severely damages fuchsias, pelergoniums, begonias, balsams, hibiscus, jasmine and affects other indoor plants with soft leaves, especially in summer.
Control measures:
Whitefly is difficult to control. The number of adult butterflies can be reduced by hanging flypaper or other yellow sticky tape near the plants. Eggs and larvae should be washed off the leaves regularly. You can spray the underside of the leaves 3-5 times at intervals of 6-7 days with the solution green soap(10-15 g per 1 liter of water). Among herbal remedies, garlic infusion helps. If this does not help, spray the leaves once every three days with an aqueous solution of nicotine sulfate (2-3 cm3/l) or parathion (0.5-1 cm3/l).
Grape elephant.
The beetles attack the leaves, but the real danger comes from the larvae, up to 2.5 cm long, cream-colored, which live in the soil and eat roots, bulbs and tubers. It is difficult to fight it - by the time signs of wilting appear, the root system of the plant is already affected. Water the soil with a systemic insecticide, the same can be recommended as a preventative measure if beetles appear on the leaves of cyclamen or primrose. Caterpillars.These are mainly garden pests that can sometimes attack indoor plants if the plant is placed in the garden for the summer. A sure sign of their presence is eaten holes on the leaves.
The caterpillar hides under leaves during the day, in the ovaries of flowers, and at night it comes out and eats leaves and young shoots, so carefully inspect all the secluded places on the flowers and pick up insects.
Control measures:
Manually remove pests from plants. As a preventive measure, you can spray with insecticides, but if the plant is standing in the open air, the chemicals are quickly washed off.
Weevil.
The weevil or vine elephant most often affects primroses and cyclamens. However, any plant placed in the garden for the summer can become the target of a weevil attack. Beetles eat leaves, leaving holes in them, like the Colorado potato beetle. But the real harm is caused by the cream-colored larvae, up to 2.5 cm long. The larvae live in the soil and devour roots, bulbs and tubers. If the pest is not detected in time, the roots will be completely eaten and the plant will die.
Control measures:
If the root system has not yet been completely eaten, i.e. the plant has just begun to wilt, then water the soil with a systemic insecticide (fufan, inta-vir, etc.) and treat the leaves. It is better to replant the plant in fresh soil.Drosophila.
Small dark brown midges about 2-3 ml long. They easily start up in souring foods or in the trash. In itself, this insect does not cause direct harm to the plant, but, flying from flower to flower, it can carry pests and pathogens.
Mites.
For all types of mites, dry air and heat- very favorable conditions for development. They reproduce very quickly, 6-7 days pass from laying eggs to the appearance of an adult.
Mites damage many indoor plants throughout the year, but are especially active in early spring. Mites bite into the skin of the stem, damaging it, leaving uneven grayish or yellowish spots. As a result of damage, the skin of the stems and leaves becomes dead and cracks. The plant develops poorly.
Ticks are very small in size, so they are difficult to detect in a timely manner. In the later stages of the lesion, a cobweb is visible on the plant, along which small dots move - these are mites.
Prevention:
The simplest preventive measure is regular spraying with water. The tick doesn't like high humidity, although he can adapt to it.Control measures:
Since ticks are very serious pests, they have to be fought regularly and with all available means. After the first victory, do not rest and carefully inspect the plants to see if the pest has appeared again. Even if it is not visible after the first treatment, do another one a week later for prevention.1. Spider mites do not tolerate ultraviolet rays, so in nature they hide under leaves from the daytime sun. If you have an ultraviolet lamp, you can irradiate plants with it. Sessions of 1.5-2 minutes once a week greatly reduce the number of mites and increase plant resistance to many diseases. Try to ensure that the rays illuminate the lower surface of the leaves, where the mite is most often found. It is also unfavorable for the mite to take the plant out onto the balcony or into the garden, where, in addition to ultraviolet radiation, its natural enemies may be found. The most noticeable of them is the large predatory mite (not to be confused with pest mites - it is much larger and does not form a web!), which feeds on small spider mites and their larvae.
2. Try safer methods first:
Spray the plants with water, then pollinate them with pyrethrum powder or ground sulfur (colloidal sulfur and sulfaride);
Among folk remedies To combat ticks, tobacco or garlic infusion is sometimes recommended, but these remedies are not radical; they can reduce the number of ticks, but not completely eradicate them. Therefore, chemical control measures are also used. Remember that most drugs have no effect on spider mites. Therefore, be sure to ask for instructions for using this or that product, evaluate whether you can use it in the living room where there are plants, and whether it will work on ticks.
3. CHEMICALS: metaldehyde, thiophos, "Aktelik", "Neoron", "Nurell-D", "Fitoverm". The latter is based on natural substances and is therefore safer. Metaphos and phosphamide are toxic, so they are used only as a last resort. Mites can adapt to chemicals, so it is better to use different ones, alternating them.
4. Alcohol treatment. Treat the leaves with undiluted medical alcohol (96%) from a fine spray bottle or wipe with a swab dipped in alcohol. This is a radical means of control, which, however, is more suitable for plants with dense, leathery leaves (rose, monstera, palm trees). It is important to briefly wet the entire surface of the leaves so that the alcohol evaporates quickly without causing the leaves to burn. The method is contraindicated for pubescent plants, since evaporation from them occurs more slowly than from smooth leaves, which causes burns. For plants that have a waxy coating or waxy epidermis (cacti, succulents), treatment with alcohol can only be done locally in small areas. In any case, you must first check on several leaves how the plant will survive the operation. Alcohol treatment is also easy to destroy mites located in cracks and cracks of the window.
Now about ticks in more detail:
Cyclamin mite
It is impossible to see individual insects with the naked eye; mites are very tiny. A large cluster of mites appears as a layer of dust on the underside of a leaf. This is a monophagous pest, i.e. It does not attack other plant species; it affects cyclamens, impatiens, pelargoniums and gloxinias. Unlike spider mites, this pest prefers to live in damp conditions. Symptoms of plant damage include slow growth, wilting of buds, curling of leaf edges, and twisting of stems.
Red flat mite.
The mite, 0.25 mm in size, brownish-reddish in color, is the most dangerous pest of cacti. It also affects aucuba, citrus and other plants.
Spider mite.
Spider mites are one of the most difficult pests to eradicate indoor plants. In apartments with central heating The tick finds favorable conditions for itself - dry air and high temperature. At the same time, only 7 days pass from the laying of eggs to the adult tick. Outbreaks of mite activity are especially frequent in early spring, but at other times of the year it also infects plants, causing great harm. Spider mite
The most unpleasant thing is that most flowering indoor plants are affected. At the very beginning of the lesion, small yellowish spots appear on the leaves, later turning brown. In the later stages, a web is visible on the plant, along which small reddish-brown dots move - this is the spider mite.
Root mites.
These include several different types mites, which have in common the fact that they damage the underground parts of plants. Among root mites, the most common are the Bulb root mite and the Bulb mite.
These mites are the first to cause harm. bulbous plants(gladioli, hyacinths, tulips, orchids, etc.) Mites have very small sizes - Bulbous root mite approximately 0.5 - 1 mm, a wide oval body of light yellow color, narrowed towards the end, and four pairs of legs. The bulb mite is slightly larger - up to 1.5 mm long, has an oval body and two pairs of legs. They gnaw out the tissues of the bulb, laying eggs there in huge quantities - about 300 eggs from one female bulbous root mite.
At the initial stage of the lesion, the eaten away places and passages of the mites are visible, gradually the mites gnaw out the entire bulb. A damaged bulb will easily fall apart in your hands or break, all the internal tissues in it are eaten away, only white dust remains, and mites are visible to the naked eye. Root mites actively reproduce and develop in a wide range of temperatures - from 10 to 25 ° C and even higher; when conditions change, they do not die, but enter a state of diapause.
Prevention:
Root mites multiply especially strongly at high air humidity. Therefore, one of the measures to prevent the appearance of root mites is to store tubers, bulbs and root vegetables in a cool, dry room, with a humidity not exceeding 60%.Control measures:
Before planting, carefully inspect the bulbs. Conditions of high soil moisture promote the appearance of root mites. At the same time, there is no need to water the plant less than it requires; you need to prevent stagnation of water in the roots, i.e. make good drainage and drain the water from the pan. Affected bulbs and roots of plants are kept or watered with a solution of a systemic insecticide (for example, Neoron, Actellik, Apollo).Centipedes.
These whitish or dark brown insects, similar to a caterpillar with numerous legs, can harm indoor plants placed in the garden for the summer. Millipedes eat the root areas of plants and lower leaves, as evidenced by eaten away areas in healthy plant tissues.
Control measures:
CentipedesDry the surface of the soil in a pot, sprinkle the soil with dry sand, or ash. Centipedes hide in dark and damp places, so you can detect and collect pests by placing a wooden plank or a small piece of linoleum or an opaque bag on the soil near the plant. Centipedes will crawl under such a trap, from where they can be collected.
Nematodes.
Free nematodes do not attach to the roots in one place, but crawl from place to place.
Root-knot nematodes invade the roots, causing thickenings on the roots with their secretions - galls, in which the worms live and reproduce. When the gall is destroyed, the eggs fall into the soil, from where the larvae spread further.
Affected plants wither and die from lack of nutrients as a result of the death of damaged roots. Warmth and dampness promote rapid reproduction of nematodes. They damage many species of tropical and subtropical plants.
Prevention:
Quarantine for new plants. Disinfection of dishes and tools (the simplest measure is scalding with boiling water). Sterilize the substrate in a water bath at a temperature of +50-55C for at least 10 minutes. You can neutralize the soil with chloropicrin, formalin or carbon disulfide.Control measures:
There are no radical measures to combat the nematode. Heavily infected plants are destroyed along with the soil. You can try anthelmintic medications, for example, Dekaris. 1 tablet is dissolved in 1 liter of water and the plant is watered well several times.Root root nematode
When infected with root-knot nematodes, the plant turns completely yellow and growth stops, so-called dwarfism. The flowers become smaller, the shoots become bent.Measures to combat root-knot nematode:
The contaminated soil is treated with formaldehyde or bleach.
The completely affected plant is dug up and destroyed. The soil is thrown away.
Pratylenchis, or penetrating short-bodied nematodes
Plant roots are affected.First, small, elongated shapes appear on the roots of the infected plant. brown spots. After two to three weeks, the infected parts die off. The plant as a whole withers and stops growing.
Measures to combat pratylenchus:
The affected parts of the roots are separated and destroyed, and the plant is transplanted into an uninfected one. soil mixture. If the entire root system is damaged, the plant is completely destroyed.
Stem nematodes
The base of the stem and the upper part of the roots are affected. Serious disturbances occur in the development of the plant.Measures to combat stem nematodes: The affected parts of the plant are separated and destroyed. When the entire plant is infected, it is destroyed.
Leaf nematodes
They are round, small earthworms. The size of the leaf nematode is 1 mm or even less.In an infected plant, light green oil spots appear on the leaves. Over time, they darken and rot. Damage to the buds and young shoots also occurs. The stem on top dries out along with the flower buds and upper buds. The plant dies.
Insects spread when watered with contaminated water or when a healthy specimen comes into contact with an infected one.
Measures to combat leaf nematodes:
It is most effective to treat an infected plant with a heterophos solution. If the plant is completely infected, it should be destroyed along with a lump of earth.
As a preventative measure, the soil should be steamed at a temperature of 100 °C for 30 minutes. The pots are treated with a 10% formaldehyde solution, which is washed off after 2 hours.
Springtails, or springtails.
Small jumping wingless insects of white color, 1-2 mm in size. They appear and multiply in large numbers with frequent excessive watering. They develop in the soil, feed on plant debris and small plant roots. With strong reproduction, they may appear at the bottom of the pot near the drainage hole or on the surface of the soil in the form of a white mass. They do not cause much harm, but their appearance indicates an urgent need to reduce watering to prevent acidification of the soil and rotting of the roots.
Prevention:
To prevent the appearance of dura, moderate watering is necessary.Control measures:
When pests appear, you must carefully remove the top layer of soil by 2-3 cm and sprinkle the soil with dry sand. Sprinkling the soil with tobacco dust helps.Slugs
The most frequently attacked plants are those used for landscaping balconies and loggias: carnations, gladiolus, iris, phlox. Infection with this pest leads to the appearance of ulcers on the leaf pulp between the veins and on the petals.Measures to combat naked slugs
The ground around the plant is sprinkled with stove ash, or lime, or a mixture of both (four parts ash and one part lime).The plant is pollinated with a mixture of tobacco dust and lime, taken in equal quantities.
The procedure is carried out every 1-2 hours during one day.
Sciarides.
Sciarids (fruit or fungus gnats, black flies) are black flies with an elongated body about 3-4 mm long, which lay their whitish, translucent eggs in the roots of plants. Young, newly emerged mosquitoes can be about 1.5-2 mm light gray in color. The mosquitoes themselves, if they start, usually fly in large numbers, but do not cause harm, except for the diseases they carry and the larvae of other pests. And the larvae of the fungus gnat - whitish worms about 3-6 mm long with a black head - eat root system plants, as a result of which it withers, lags in growth, does not bloom, often reaching complete death.
Sciarids, like all flying insects, can enter a room through open windows, ventilation and simply open door. It is possible that you can bring home an infected plant from a store or introduce larvae with purchased and not disinfected soil. But a fungus gnat entering an apartment does not always mean immediate multiplication of the colony. Their reproduction is associated with excess soil moisture and the use of a substrate rich in organic matter. It has also been noted that fungus gnats tend to appear when water from an aquarium is used for irrigation, along with fish waste products. If you notice several insects, you need to check all the pots. If at first sciarids appear in pots with a waterlogged substrate, then with intensive reproduction of these insects, moderately moist soil will suit them, and then, if they are hunted, they will agree to fairly dry soil.
So you need to check all containers where there is earth. Sciarids If you shake or lightly tap a pot with a plant, and a flock of flies flies up above the surface of the ground, then most likely there is a clutch of eggs there. If you look closely you can see that the flies are flying different ages: light gray - still translucent and larger - already black. In such a pot, it is better to immediately replace all the soil. Since it has most likely already been processed by worms and is in a rotten state, and, in addition, it is necessary to check the condition of the roots of the plant. If you take the plant out of the pot and scatter the soil into a tray, then in the damp soil you can see whitish, translucent larvae with a black head, up to 5 mm long. It is much easier to detect the larvae if you water the soil in the affected pot with an insecticide - they usually crawl to the surface and you can see them writhing.
Prevention:
Proper watering of plants, avoid unnecessary waterlogging of the soil. Careful use organic fertilizers. For sowing, use a peat-sand substrate that does not contain humus.
Control measures:
If a swarm of fungus gnats is discovered, it is better to immediately take radical measures. You need to fight the sciarids in two directions - from the air and on the ground. If you poison only flying individuals, then new sciarid larvae will hatch in the soil every day. To destroy the larvae, you need to use a solution of insecticides. I would like to immediately warn you that the more powerful the drug, the more effective the fight. Decis or karbofos, Inta-vir are best suited. Do not be afraid of causing harm to the plant; almost all produced drugs for controlling pests and diseases are not phytotoxic. If “nests” or clutches of fungus gnats are found in more than one pot and the flies fly, as they say, in flocks, then it is better to re-treat with an insecticide during the next watering. You will also have to fight flying insects; for this it is better to use the same means that are used to fight flies. Adult insects can be caught using flypaper or other yellow adhesive tape, using Raptor or Fumitox plates, but they are usually not very effective. . It is better to use aerosols, such as the well-known dichlorvos and the like. Treating the room and pots with plants with aerosols against flying insects, as well as watering the soil with insecticides, may have to be repeated, preferably until the pests completely disappear.
Aphids.
Usually, aphid infestation is fairly easy to recognize. Aphids live in large groups on the underside of leaves, around growing points, on young shoots, buds, and pedicels, feeding on plant juices. They pose a danger because they weaken the plant, reduce its resistance to disease, and can also be carriers of viral diseases. Aphids In damaged plants, leaves curl and turn yellow, form nodules, buds do not develop or produce ugly flowers.
Appears on mature leaves sticky coating, in which the fungus can settle. Roses, carnations, fuchsias, and many aroid and forcing bulb crops are especially affected by aphids. Aphids are unpleasant, but in principle easily eradicated pests.
Prevention:
Care that promotes the development of healthy shoots that are less susceptible to attack by aphids and do not favor their rapid development. Overfed and having little fresh air plants form weak shoots - soil for the rapid development of aphids. Keep it clean, remove all dried leaves on which young insects often sit.Control measures:
Aphids are a nuisance but eradicable pest. When you find the first insects, just crush them with your fingers and, for prevention, wash all the plants with laundry soap.When the aphids are already hanging on the plant in clusters, you will have to fight them. Isolate affected plants from healthy ones and wash them with soapy water or brush them to remove most of the pests. When cleaning, you need to remove all the ties, scrape the pegs to which the plants were tied, because a lot of eggs are hidden in all the cracks and corners.
If young stems and leaves are completely covered with aphids, then it is best to cut them off completely and destroy them along with the insects, especially since especially severely affected branches, no matter how thoroughly you clean them, usually dry out.
After this, treat them with one of the following preparations 3-4 times with an interval of 5-6 days.
- Spraying with infusion of tobacco, wormwood, dandelion, onion, yarrow, sophora, tansy or marigold.
- Spraying with soap-ash solution.
- Washing infected plants with a solution of green potassium soap (20 g per 1 liter of water), after covering the ground with a plastic bag.
- Treatment with pyrethrum diluted in water (2 g per 1 liter of water).
- Pollination with pyrethrum, wood ash, tobacco dust or sulfur.
- Use of chemical preparations based on pyrethroids: “Inta-vir”, “Cypermethrin”, “Karate”, “Fas”, “Decis”, “Khostakvik”, etc. in accordance with the instructions. These drugs are non-volatile and have low toxicity.
- Aphids are sensitive to most poisons that are used to protect plants from insects, for example, Actellik or Fitoverm.
- As a last resort, you can use pirimor (a very strong drug), as it is highly toxic.
Aphids get used to the chemicals used against them, so each product can be used 3-4 times during the spring-summer season.
Root aphid (root mealybug).
Symptoms of damage include cessation of growth, loss of shine and pale color of leaves in the absence of other pests. When damaged by root aphids, plants are very susceptible to fungal diseases. With severe damage, the leaves wrinkle and the plant gradually dries out. It is very harmful to cacti and other plants during dry wintering.
Prevention:
In spring and autumn, 3-4 waterings with an interval of two weeks with insecticide solutions.Control measures:
At an early stage of damage, the plant can still be saved. If you suspect a root aphid attack, the plant should be removed from the pot and the roots examined. If a pest is detected, it is necessary to wash the roots and cut off damaged roots. If there are a lot of them, prune the plant's crown to compensate for root loss. Destroy the soil, disinfect the pot or throw it away. Immerse the washed roots in an insecticide solution for 10 minutes, dry and plant in fresh soil.Mealybug (mealybug).
The body of the wingless female is flesh-colored, elongated-oval, with outgrowths and long bristles along the edges, covered with a white powdery coating. A winged insect has one pair of wings. Female mealybugs lay up to 2000 eggs in white cotton wool-like fluffy secretions on the underside and in the axils of leaves, along the veins. They can secrete a sticky liquid on which sooty fungus develops.
Eggs protected by down are not afraid of water. Mealybug Larvae spread throughout the plant and can settle at the root collar and even on the roots. Insects remain mobile throughout their lives. Damaged plants become covered with a white cobwebby coating. By sucking the juices of young shoots, leaves, and buds, scale insects greatly retard plant growth. Amaryllis, azaleas, asparagus, begonias, geraniums, dracaena, cacti, lemons, palm trees, ferns, fuchsias and some other plants are affected.
Prevention:
Keeping plants clean, removing all dried leaves. Plants that regularly wash their leaves are very rarely affected by scale insects.Control measures:
1. If the number of scale insects is still small, wash it off the leaves and stems with a soft cotton swab dipped in a soap solution. Then spray three times with an interval of 7-10 days with a solution of green soap (10-15 g per 1 liter of water), tobacco infusion, garlic infusion or cyclamen decoction. Alcohol treatment (see "mites") or treatment with a pharmacy tincture of calendula gives a good effect.2. CHEMICAL METHODS. In case of severe damage, in addition to manual destruction, spray at intervals of 7 days with one of the following preparations: thiophos, "Aktelik", "Vertimek", "Nurell-D", "Fozalon", "Fitoverm", "phosphamide" , "metaphos" (highly toxic).
Thrips.
Greenhouse thrips or bladderwort. The insect is 1-2.5 mm in size. The body is oblong, black or dark brown with two pairs of wings with ciliated hairs. The larvae are white at first, and when the wings appear, they are light yellow, and have a transparent bubble on the back of the body. Externally, mobile larvae are similar to adult insects. Full development of insects occurs in 25-30 days.
Thrips live in groups on the undersides of leaves, especially along the veins. Eggs are laid in leaf tissue. Thrips fly or crawl from leaf to leaf, leaving behind characteristic silvery streaks. On damaged leaves, brownish-brown spots appear on the lower side and whitish spots on the upper side. With severe infection, the leaves turn yellow, dry out and fall off. Thrips cause the main damage to flowers, which become stained and deformed. It causes the greatest damage in summer, in hot weather. Thrips damage palm trees, dracaenas, fuchsias, cordylines, aspidistras, azaleas, cacti, ficus, roses, begonias, citrus fruits and many other indoor plants.
Prevention: In summer, you need to frequently spray the plants with water to prevent dry air.
Control measures:
1 To remove the pest, wash the surface of the leaves warm water with laundry soap. This event greatly reduces the number of insects, although it does not completely destroy them.
2. Next, one of the following means is used.
Herbal preparations:
- spraying plants twice every 7-10 days with pyrethrum diluted in water (2 g per 1 liter of water),
- spraying with infusion of yarrow and tobacco,
- spraying with infusion of Persian chamomile and green soap,
- spraying with a decoction of cyclamen tubers.
Chemicals:
- after spraying the plants with water, dust them with pyrethrum powder or ground sulfur (colloidal sulfur, sulfaride), DDT dust,
- spraying three times with the following mixture: 2g nicotine sulfate or anabasine sulfate and 4g soap per 1 liter of water, then pollinate with pyrethrum,
- thiophos in a concentration of 0.1-0.2%,
- "Vertimek", "Nurell-D" (slightly toxic),
- phosphamide (moderately toxic),
- metaphos (highly toxic).
Earwig.
Another name is tick. A well-known garden and home pest of the order Leatheroptera with a dark brown body and two pincer-like appendages. It is called the earwig because of the belief that it crawls into the ears of those who are sleeping. This insect is difficult to detect on indoor plants because it hides during the day and eats leaves and petals at night, so that holes form on the leaves, until the leaf tissue completely disappears.
Control measures:
Insects are caught manually by looking under leaves and shaking off flowers, or using thinly rolled tubes of strong paper, hollowed out sticks, etc., which are placed on pots. The mite hides in such shelters in the morning and can be destroyed.Earthworms.
It would seem that earthworms are not pests of indoor plants; some even believe that they are useful because they loosen the soil. However, this is not so; earthworms can feed not only on organic residues in the soil, but also eat the roots of plants. This usually causes the plant to become lethargic and stunted in growth.
Control measures:
Earthworms can be collected in so-called traps, just like centipedes. You can water the soil in the pot well with a pink solution of potassium permanganate.Scale insects and false scale insects.
Ivy scale insect - a body separated from the scutellum, ovoid in shape, yellow color, scutellum greyish-white, about 3mm, round.
Oleander scale insect - the body is pale yellow, the shield is flat, round, at first it is whitish, then yellow and grows simultaneously with the insect until it reaches a diameter of 2.5 mm. The male is brownish-yellow, covered with a thin white coating.
Pink scale insect - the male is pale red, covered. The female is ovoid, flat, yellow, with a round, flat, convex shield only in the middle.
Cactus scale insect - male orange color. The female is pale yellow, the scutellum is rounded, yellow, approximately 2 mm.
Bay scale is a pale cherry male. The female is white or pale cherry, with a rounded brown shield in the form of a shell, having a red-yellow elevation in front and concentric rings and ledges.
Palm scale insect - male is pale yellow. The larva is linear, white and fluffy. The female is pale yellow, with a round, flat, white shield, no more than 2.5 mm.
The soft scute is a broadly oval, asymmetrical body, brownish-brown in color, with unclear punctures on the back. Scale insects Most species of scale insects reproduce by laying eggs, but there are also viviparous species. Pests live on the underside and top of leaves, shoots and trunks of plants. Only young larvae settle, sticking to various parts of the plant; adult insects are motionless. With severe infection, the leaves along the veins and plant trunks become covered with a coating formed from a large accumulation of scale insects. Damaged plants have stunted growth and development, leaves turn yellow and fall off prematurely. Scale insects and false scale insects secrete a sticky liquid - honeydew, on which a sooty fungus settles, which further impairs the development of plants. Scale insects and false scale insects damage many indoor plants: asparagus, aucuba, palm trees, citrus fruits, oleander, ivy, cyperus and others.
Prevention:
Regular inspection of the stems and leaves of plants, especially from below.Control measures:
It is easiest to destroy these sedentary insects at the very beginning of their appearance. Regularly inspect plant leaves, especially the undersides. If the scale insect has so far settled on one leaf or twig, which you can sacrifice, then it is better to remove it along with the affected organ. In case of more severe damage to the pests, it is necessary to remove them from the plant with a soft brush or a cotton swab moistened with soapy water or anabasine sulfate solution, or even better with alcohol (for alcohol treatment, see the article “Mites”). Remains of shields and dust must be washed off with a brush or swab and a weak solution of vinegar. In addition to adult insects, larvae invisible to the naked eye will probably remain on the surface of the leaves. To destroy them, you can spray them three times (within 2 weeks) with a solution of green potassium soap (20-30 g per 1 liter of water) or spray with garlic infusion; treatment with insecticidal preparations is possible. There are no specialized chemical insecticides to combat scale insects, so choose an insecticide with the broadest spectrum of action.Enhytrea.
These insects, which look like small white worms, can be seen if you remove the plant from the pot. They eat the roots, so the affected plant begins to lag in growth, the leaves turn yellow, the plant withers and eventually dies. High soil moisture promotes the appearance of enchytraea.
Control measures:
If these pests are detected, you need to wash the roots from old land and plant the plant in fresh soil. If the plant cannot be replanted for some reason, then you need to water the soil with an insecticide solution.Pests of indoor plants photos and how to deal with them
How much worry we get from diseases of our favorite plants. Only yesterday it looked great, and today you found traces of aphids or shiny tubercles of scale insects on its leaves. It is important to know in advance how to help him in such cases. How to deal with numerous enemies: insects, mollusks, rodents?
Let's take a closer look at each type of pest that causes trouble for indoor plants.
Aphids are a typical type of sucking insect. You can notice it with the naked eye, despite the fact that it is very small (about 2 mm). There are up to 200 species of it. At the end of winter, in spring it appears on indoor plants. In warm, stuffy rooms, aphids are found throughout the year.
The most common color of the insect is green, but gray, orange, yellow, and black are also found. Another known name is greenfly. Although only males have wings.
Aphids are located in entire colonies on the underside of leaves, on buds, young shoots and tender tops of stems. It multiplies very quickly. Individuals reach full maturity in 7 days. The insect is saturated with plant juice, weakens them and can completely destroy them. In addition, it spreads viral diseases.
Failure to comply with growing conditions causes the spread of aphids:
- excessive fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers;
- irregularities in irrigation;
- diseases.
It is not difficult to recognize aphids. Roses, abutilons, and fuchsias are most often affected by it, but ficus and milkweed are not affected by it.
How to get rid of aphids
Infestation by aphids is an unpleasant phenomenon, but must be eradicated.
Methods of disposal:
- Rinse with warm water. Used for minor damage to the plant. The method is not suitable for large plants or if they have just been transplanted.
- Pinching the affected shoot.
- The use of oil aerosols and further processing with infusions of tobacco and wormwood.
- When using pesticides, you need to remember that frequent use of certain drugs helps aphids develop immunity.
Important to remember! Studying the instructions will allow you to avoid purchasing drugs containing the same active substance.
Effective agents: pirimicarb, permethrin, derris, saifos, resmethrin, pyrethrum. Plants are treated once every 8 days. There are 4 procedures in total.
It is better to carry out all processing work outside, in the bathroom. Make sure it's straight Sun rays do not fall on the leaves until they dry. Dead insects continue to remain on the plant. It is recommended to wash them off after the drug has stopped working.
Special sticks and balls impregnated with insecticides and ready-made aerosols are sold.
Shields
Scale insects are another representative of sucking pests. The most famous are common, brown and false scale insects. The insects got their name from the waxy, shiny shell that covers them. They stick to the leaves, stems and trunks of the plant. Thanks to the shield, it is difficult to recognize them. You can only see the hatched strays, looking for places for shelter.
The damage to a plant by scale insects is judged by yellow, brown or whitish spots on the leaves. The leaves lose their shine and become dull.
The body shape of the false scale insect is oval, its length is about 3 mm. The color ranges from yellowish-grayish in the larvae to yellowish-brownish. Sometimes it is confused with aphids. It can damage cacti and palm trees.
Constant inspection with a magnifying glass or palpating with your fingers can reveal raised plaques on the plant.
How to deal with scale insects
Shield insects are protected by a dense shell. The fight against them begins with the removal of insects. Take a thin, hard brush or toothbrush, moisten it in alcohol, vodka or a prepared soap solution and treat the leaves once every 7 days for a month.
Several recipes for treating indoor plants:
- Prepare the emulsion. Beat 10 g of soap with a glass of water until foam is obtained. Combine with 30 g of machine oil. The soil is covered with film. The composition is used to treat the leaves, stems and trunk of a damaged plant. After 12 hours, the emulsion is washed off. After two treatments with an interval of 10 days, the scale insects die.
- You can take one small onion, 5 cloves of garlic or 50 g of hot pepper, chop and leave in 1 glass of water for 24 hours. Strain. Treat the plant.
- If the moment is missed, there are a lot of scale insects, use chemical methods- treatment with insecticides: actellik, phosbecid, selinone.
Ticks
There are up to 10 thousand different mites. Spider and root onions cause trouble for flower growers.
Spider mites settle in the lower part of the leaves. They got their name from the cobweb that appears at the point where it joins the vein. The appearance of cobwebs means that the damage is serious. The leaves soon turn pale, turn white, turn yellow, and dry out.
Ticks are resistant to most pesticides. It's difficult to fight them.
Ways to combat spider mites:
- removal of damaged shoots, leaves, flowers;
- washing with a shower or wiping with an alcohol, soap solution (recipe for plants with large leaves);
- transferring the diseased plant to a separate place;
- treatment with special preparations.
It is important to know! Treat with strong chemicals only outside or on a loggia with an open window. It is advisable to carry out 4 procedures with different acaricides with an interval of 3-4 days. The pest may return. It's better not to hope for traditional methods, and use special means: nissoran, pyrethrum, oberon, sunmite, apollo, actellik. Acaricide is a special drug to combat spider mites.
The enemy of bulbous and corm plants is onion root mites. They are located at the bottom of the bulbs. If during transplantation you notice that the bottom is damaged, then try to disinfect the bulb: heat it at a temperature not exceeding 40° for 7-10 days, sprinkle with chalk.
The strawberry or cyclamen mite affects Saintpaulias, impatiens, cyclamens, and pelargoniums. Mites are located on the tops of shoots, in buds. It differs from spider mites in that it spreads in damp conditions. If these pests are detected, it is better to destroy the plant.
These are very small sucking insects. They develop quickly at an air temperature of 20-28°. A decrease in temperature below 10° leads to a loss of their activity.
Damaged parts of the plant become discolored, turn brown and die. The leaves have a leaden tint. But unlike spider mites Thrips do not have webs. Plant growth slows down, flowers become deformed. It is the flowers that thrips harm. They can be seen jumping near the plant.
Thrips control:
- increase watering and air humidity;
- Spray with contact insecticides once every 8 days with repeated treatment 4 times;
- trim damaged leaves;
- Use mothballs to repel thrips.
Effective remedies: Decis, karbofos, fitoverm.
Greenhouse whitefly
It is a small white fly. Most often appear in greenhouses. They reproduce quickly. They affect the lower part of the leaves.
Whitefly can be found on impatiens, pelargoniums, fuchsias, and begonias. It settles on plants with tender leaves and flowering ones.
To catch it, special plates coated with glue are used. Place them directly into flower pots or hang it nearby. Insecticides only affect adults. Regular spraying every 10 days with the following preparations is recommended: pyrethrum, resmethrin, pirimiphosmethyl, permethrin. You can purchase insecticidal soap.
Recognition is complicated by the lack of obvious signs. If you see that the plant is dying, look at the roots. The presence of swellings on them is a sign of a nematode.
The plant must be burned. Don't just throw it away.
Sciarid mosquitoes are brought into the room with soil from the garden. Gradually, the larvae, which look like small worms, become small black flies. They don't cause any particular problems. Only the larvae can damage the roots of small or weakened plants.
Reasons for their appearance:
- excessive soil moisture;
- the presence of a substrate enriched with organic fertilizers.
Watering the soil with malathion or permethrin will help eliminate these insects. Make sure the soil dries out well between waterings.
Prevention measures
Gardening tips:
- new plants should not be immediately placed next to your own, let them stand separately for 14 days;
- carry out regular inspections of the leaves from below;
- indoor flowers love cleanliness, spray them more often;
- Do not place plants close to one another, crowding promotes the spread of pests.
Traditional methods of pest control help only at the initial stage. If the moment is missed, use chemicals.
Many flower lovers make a common mistake - they do not give the plants enough attention and do not carry out preventive measures against diseases and insects. Pests of indoor plants are very common, despite the fact that the flowers are indoors. With improper care and violation of the watering or lighting schedule, insects may appear on the plants, which, without treatment, will quickly destroy the flowers.
A description of the main pests of indoor plants with photos and control methods can be found in this article.
Why are pests of indoor plants dangerous?
The easiest way to fight insects is with the help of special preparations. Most of them are contact, that is, they destroy the insect when a certain product comes into direct contact with it.
Systemic remedies are considered more effective. When watering and spraying, they get inside the crop and make the juice poisonous, and any living creature that eats the leaves dies.
It is important that the treatment must be carried out several times in order to destroy not only adults, but also their larvae and eggs. Below is a description of the most common types of such insects and methods of combating them.
Spider mite
Spider mites are one of the most dangerous insects, since it is difficult to notice damage to a culture at an early stage, and in the future it is almost impossible to completely get rid of it.
IN temperate climate Spider mites can easily appear on flowers simply by flying in with the air flow through an open vent or window.
Symptoms
As mentioned above, it is difficult to determine a spider mite infestation, but if you know the main symptoms, it can be detected in the early stages.
The characteristic signs of spider mite infestation are:(picture 1):
- The leaves appear variegated in color, and their surface itself looks dusty. This means that the leaves are already affected by flares and are covered with their waste products.
- At a later stage, the leaves begin to gradually turn yellow and fall off.
- A web can be seen between the trunk and leaves.
Figure 1. Flowers affected by spider mites It is important to start treatment at an early stage, since only in this case there is a chance to save the cultures. Otherwise, the flower may die completely.
Treatment
To eliminate spider mites, you need to use special acaricide preparations, the action of which is aimed specifically at this group insects By the best means This group includes Vermitek, Fitoverm, Apollo and Neoron. These drugs can be used for any type.
Note: There is also a more powerful drug, Actellik, but its effect is so strong that it not only destroys mites, but can also cause the death of the crop. It has a particularly detrimental effect on the growth of orchids.
In some cases, for prevention, the leaves are periodically washed with warm water and dog shampoo, to which acaricides are also added. But such a remedy is not beneficial, and it is better to simply clean the leaves with warm water, and if insects are detected, use special preparations.
Shields
It is not difficult to recognize the scale insect: on the leaves and stems it looks like a tubercle or compaction. The insect attaches itself to the plant, making its stems and leaves sticky (Figure 2).
Scale insects feed on sap, causing the flowers to gradually weaken. As a rule, the presence of insects is determined before the crop dies, and therapeutic measures are taken in time.
More information about this type You will find the insect and how to combat it in the video.
Ways to fight
To combat scale insects, systemic insecticides Confidor, Aktara and Mospilan are used. These products are effective against all insects except ticks. To get the desired effect, you need to not only spray the leaves, but also water ready-made solution soil so that the drug is absorbed by the roots.
Figure 2. Damage to flowers by scale insects If the infestation is minor, you can also eliminate scale insects manually: collecting insects and wiping the stems with a damp, clean cloth. After this, it is necessary to carry out preventive spraying with Karate or Actellik, and all new specimens must be quarantined.
It is very easy to identify the lesion by the characteristic white formations, similar to cotton wool or clumps of white cobwebs. Most often it affects cacti, spreading through their root system (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Mealybug Symptoms For control, the drugs Confidor and Aktara are used, using the solution not only for spraying, but also for watering the soil.
Outwardly, they look like small midges that constantly hover around flowers, although the larvae are located and develop in the soil (Figure 4).
Note: This pest can tell you whether you are caring for flowerpots correctly, because fungus gnats only appear on flowers when they are over-watered.
Figure 4. Fungus gnats To combat, first of all, the watering regime is normalized, and the flowers are sprayed with systemic insecticides: Confidor, Aktara and Regent. A single spray is sufficient to kill the insect.
Thrips are also considered common pests, and everyone has probably seen them. Bending down to smell any wild flower, especially dandelion, can be seen inside small black midges. These are thrips, which in the summer can enter an apartment through open windows and settle on flowers (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Symptoms of thrips infestation Thrips eat leaves, leaving characteristic black spots on them. For control, it is better to use systemic insecticides (Aktaroy or Vermitek), since contact ones are not sufficiently effective.
Small insects that settle in entire colonies on crops in open ground and conditions of a city apartment. The aphid sticks to the stems and drinks juice from them (Figure 6).
Figure 6. Aphids on plant leaves Since insects reproduce very quickly, they are capable of destroying all plants in a short time. Therefore, when the first signs of damage are detected, the flower must be treated with the systemic insecticide Aktara or contact Decis and Karate.
Other houseplant pests
The most common pests of indoor plants were described above, but there are other insects that can cause significant damage to flowers.
Pests of indoor crops also include(Figure 7):
- Whitefly: a small white midge that settles in colonies on the lower part of the leaves;
- Mining fly lays larvae on the leaves, and young individuals gnaw holes in the leaves and stems;
- Caterpillars rarely attack domestic flowers, but if they are found, it will not be difficult to get rid of them by collecting the caterpillars by hand or treating them with any insecticide;
- Snails They gnaw on roots, getting into the house along with forest or garden soil. To get rid of them, you need to spread pieces of apples on the ground and collect the snails by hand;
- Centipedes- long insects with many limbs. Insects gnaw on the roots, and to combat them they use diazonin preparations, which are injected directly into the soil.
- Fools appear when excessive watering and are found primarily on the ground. They do not pose a danger to flowers, but they spoil its aesthetic appearance.
Figure 7. Common pests of indoor flowers: 1 - whitefly, 2 - leafminer, 3 - caterpillars, 4 - snails, 5 - centipedes, 6 - podars To combat most of these insects, except snails, systemic insecticides are used.
Methods for controlling whiteflies, as an example of a pest of indoor plants, are given in the video.
Preparations against pests
For quick and, most importantly, effective destruction of pests, contact or systemic insecticides are used. If you don’t know which drug is best to choose, we will give some features of such drugs.
Many gardeners avoid chemicals, considering them too toxic. In fact, such drugs are dangerous only for insects, but not for humans. The toxicity of any drug is displayed in the LD50 indicator, which shows how much of a substance you need to drink, eat or inhale before there is a risk of death (50% chance).
Figure 8. Popular drugs against insect pests of indoor plants In most cases, all such drugs are not particularly toxic to humans. They contain special substances that are dangerous to insects, but harmless to humans, and lethal dose amounts to several tens or hundreds of grams.
Also, do not trust the unpleasant pungent odor. Modern insecticides most often have no odor at all, and at the same time they are quite effective in controlling pests.
When choosing a drug for pest control, it is better to alternate groups of products, using, for example, pyrethroid, organophosphorus and neonicotinoid drugs in turn, so that insects do not develop immunity (Figure 8).
Of course, indoor plants are less likely to suffer from diseases and pests than their garden relatives, since they are usually under more careful attention. But if they are nevertheless damaged by insects or become infected, it is much more difficult to treat them, because “green pets” are more pampered and capricious, and react worse to outside interference and, especially, to the use of chemicals. Wrong location (very dark, too sunny, too cold, very warm, low humidity) as well as improper care(too much water, lack of moisture, wrong fertilizer, unsuitable substrate) can cause poor plant health. Unskilled care also contributes to the damage of indoor flowers by pests and diseases; the plants refuse to bloom, wither, and ultimately die. As they say, you need to know your enemies by sight. Therefore, read the photos and names of diseases and pests of indoor plants, learn about the causes of damage and how to get rid of these insects and infections.
Diseases of indoor flowers: photos, causes and methods of control
In this section of the article you will learn how to deal with some diseases of indoor plants and you will be able to see what the symptoms of damage look like.
Brown edges of leaves
Causes: excess or lack of water, excess, unsuitable soil, dry air. Control measures: optimize care, increase air humidity.
curled leaves
Causes: low air humidity, dry soil. Root damage can also cause this plant disease. Control measures: optimize care, if necessary.
Pale leaves (chlorosis)
In plants that prefer acidic soil, such as azalea and milkweed. The leaf veins are still green. Causes: hard water, iron deficiency. Control measures: soften the water, add an iron supplement to the water.
Light spots on leaves
Causes: temperature changes, too cold or too warm water. Moisturizing in the sun (for example, in the Usambara violet). Control measures: change location, optimize care, water from below.
Powdery mildew
Symptoms: a powdery coating from white to dirty brown on both sides of the leaves. Causes: fungal spores. As you can see in the photo, you can fight this disease of indoor plants using fungicides:
Gray mold
Symptoms: gray-brown coating on leaves, petioles or flowers. Causes: not suitable for spraying or cold water, air humidity is too high. Control measures: Remove diseased parts of the plant, reduce air humidity, and place in a brighter place.
Bacteria and viruses
Bacterial wet rot occurs in alpine violets and indoor callas. Symptoms: rot at the base of the stem. As shown in the photo, with this disease of indoor flowers, if there is no proper treatment, rot spreads throughout the entire plant:
Mosaic virus
It primarily affects orchids, gloxinia, and hippeastrum. Symptoms: light green and dark green spots. Control measures: No. Kidney failure is most often caused by an imbalance of water balance. Either the plant has experienced a lack of moisture, or as a result of excessive moisture, the roots are so damaged that they cannot absorb and transport enough moisture. Some plants, such as stephanotis or camellia, shed buds even when their location changes dramatically. Premature shedding of flowers is also a consequence of changing the place of growth and is especially evident when the plant is not hardened enough. Inactive flowering may be due to genetic factors(some varieties bloom less than others) or a lack of phosphorus, violation of the dormant period or improper wintering. Cracked pedicels are considered a consequence of irregular watering. This can lead to tension in the tissues and rupture of the shoots. Rotting flowers or buds indicate gray mold infection. These photos show the symptoms of some diseases of indoor plants:
Pests of indoor plants: photos, causes and control measures
The most favorable time for pests of indoor flowers is considered to be the end of the heating season. Lack of light and dry air in a heated room expose plants to the risk of pest damage. During this period, spider mites and aphids appear especially often on plants. Summer and fall are whitefly season. The best prevention is care that meets the needs of plants. Choose the most suitable places location. In addition, you should devote more time to observing plants. First of all, pay attention to the underside of the leaves. In this case, it is often possible to detect a disease or pests in the initial stages of damage. Sick plants should be isolated to avoid spreading the infection to other plants.
Spider mites
Symptoms: cobwebs under and between leaves. Causes: air is too dry. Control measures: increase air humidity, use warm shower, introduce predatory mites. Also, special preparations are used to combat these pests of indoor flowers.
Soft-bodied mites
Symptoms: curled leaves, cessation of growth. Causes: infection promoted by heat and high humidity air. Control measures: reduce temperature and humidity. Parts of indoor plants affected by this pest must be removed and destroyed.
Thrips
Symptoms: silver streaks on leaves. Look at the photo - when indoor flowers are infected by this pest, brownish traces of the penetration of sucking insects appear on the underside of the leaves:
Whiteflies
Symptoms: There are small white flies on the underside of the leaves. Causes: infection from other plants. Control measures: lower the temperature, since the tropical insect does not tolerate cool weather. Traps, riders and insecticides are also used to control this pest of indoor plants.
Shields
Symptoms: brown shields under which insects sit. Pay attention to the photo - indoor plants affected by these pests shed their leaves:
Felt bugs and mealybugs
Symptoms: cotton wool-like formations, primarily in the axils and on the undersides of leaves. Poor growth. Causes: air is too dry. Control measures with these insect pests of indoor plants are the same as when fighting scale insects.
Nematodes
Symptoms: glassy or brown spots limited to leaf veins. Dropping leaves. Causes: an infection promoted by moisture on the leaves. Control measures: Remove and destroy diseased leaves. Keep leaves dry. Here you can see photos of the main diseases and pests of indoor plants:
Changes that occur in plant leaves indicate the presence of pests, diseases, or care errors. A healthy leaf is strong, with flawless edges and tips. Pay attention to the metamorphoses and take action. Leaves are the vital nerve of the plant and at the same time the best indicator of the presence of pests and diseases. Sometimes buds and flowers are also damaged. The main causes of such damage should be known. Pale colors of flowers indicate excess sunlight. Deformed or torn flowers indicate the presence of pests, such as aphids.
How to get rid of pests of indoor plants: methods of protecting flowers
There are several ways to deal with pests of indoor plants. Some of the most effective are mechanical protection, biotechnical methods and the use of chemicals. How to get rid of pests on indoor plants using mechanical protection:- Remove affected parts of the plant.
- Carry out pest removal, including washing them off in the shower.
- Immerse the above-ground parts of the affected plant in warm water with a small amount of detergent. The pot must first be placed in a plastic bag and tied at the top.
- Riders against whiteflies,
- Predatory mites against spider mites and fringed mites,
- Predatory gall midges, goldeneyes or parasites against aphids.
- The yellow plates are insect traps coated with glue that attract bright color leafminers, whiteflies, sciarids and other flying pests.
- In a “plant bath”, spider mites are destroyed due to the very high air humidity. To do this, water the plant well and place it in a transparent plastic bag. Be careful, rot! Plants with soft leaves do not tolerate this treatment.
- Oily products, such as white oil, clog the insects' airways. Leaf shine sprays work in a similar way.
- Follow the directions for use and dosage contained on the package.
- Maintain recommended intervals between treatments to eliminate new generations of pests.
- Do not use sprays that are harmful to the environment.
- Treat plants only outdoors.
- Wear gloves and do not inhale spray products.
- Store plant protection products in closed original packaging out of the reach of children and pets.
- Do not store leftover chemicals; their effectiveness is quickly lost. Do not throw chemicals away with regular household waste, but take them to a special waste collection point.