FLOWERING PLANTS PESTS CONTROL

Most flowering plants are not much at risk as long as they are well cultivated. Among the principal sufferers are bulbs, and plants grown under glass, where pests and diseases particularly flourish.

Five troubles affecting roots

A number of insect pests live in the soil and feed on the roots of plants. Usually you do not know they’re there until leaves and shoots begin to wilt.

• Chafer grub Long fat creamy-white grubs with brown heads which feed on the roots of many flowers. If suspected, water the soil with pirimiphos-methyl or dust with gamma-BHC.
• Cutworm Soil-dwelling caterpillars about 4cm/I 1/2in long, creamy brown, which feed on roots and the surface of stems at soil level. Many border plants liable to attack. Symptom: wilting. Dust soil with gamma-BHC insecticide.
• Millepede Long thin insects with many legs, often black, curl up when disturbed. Often attack seedlings. Dust seedlings and soil with gamma-BHC insecticide.
• Vine weevil Grubs, about 1 cm/1/2in long, white, with light brown heads, feed on roots, bulbs and tubers. Symptom: wilting. Dust soil with gamma-BHC insecticide.
• Wireworm Grubs of click beetles, up to 2.5cm/lin long, thin and wiry, orange-brown. They are often troublesome in new gardens where soil has been left undisturbed, eating roots of many plants, as well as bulbs, tubers and corms. Treat soil at planting time with bromophos insecticide.

Two troubles affecting bulbs and corms

Bulbous plants are subject to attack from the vine weevil and wireworm, as listed above. Here are two more serious troubles to watch out for:

• Narcissus fly Cream maggots feed inside narcissus or daffodil bulbs. They can kill the plants. Dust the soil and dying foliage of the bulbs with gamma-BHC dust at fortnightly intervals from mid-spring to early summer.
• Rots Various rots can affect bulbs, corms and tubers, especially when in storage. Store only when completely dry. Dip in benomyl fungicide beforehand. Regularly check stored material and discard bulbous plants that are starting to rot.

Five pests which make holes in leaves

Several serious pests feed on the leaves of a wide range of flowers, nibbling holes of various shapes and sizes.

• Capsid bug Usually green bugs, often found on chrysanthemums, dahlias and other plants. Masses of tiny holes in leaves. Apply dimethoate, gamma-BHC or fenitrothion insecticides.
• Caterpillars These may be green or brown. Small numbers can be picked off; otherwise apply gamma-BHC, fenitrothion or rotenone insecticides.
• Flea beetle Tiny blackish beetles creating a shot-hole effect in the leaves of many flowering plants especially wallflowers and aubrieta. Dust the affected plants with gamma-BHC, rotenone insecticides.
• Slugs and snails Will eat virtually any soft plant material: seedlings and young plants are particularly prone. Sprinkle slug pellets (based on metaldehyde) thinly around plants. Repeat if necessary.

Woodlice Greyish “armour-plated” pests which go especially for seedlings and young plants. They feed at night and hide during the day. Metaldehyde slug pellets give some control; or dust seedlings with gamma-BHC.

Thirteen problems affecting leaves and stems

These are major pests and diseases, which can cripple the leaves and/or stems of ornamental flowering plants if not kept in check.

• Aphids Greenfly, blackfly and their relatives — an all too common sight in spring and summer. They cluster around shoot tips and their feeding causes stunted and distorted growth. They can cause the spread of disease. Very wide range of plants attacked. Colonies build up very quickly if not treated early. Spray with pirimicarb, malathion or rotenone.
• Froghopper Creamy-white bugs found on stems, covered with white froth, often known as ‘Cuckoo spit’. Found in early summer. Either pick off by hand or spray plants with dimethoate or permethrin insecticides.
• Grey mould Common fungal disease affecting both outdoor and greenhouse plants. Causes rotting. Particularly prevalent in damp weather. Cut off affected parts and spray with benomyl or carbendazim fungicide.
• Leafhopper Greenish plant bugs, whose feeding habits result in pale mottling on leaves. Dust the affected plants with gamma-BHC insecticide.
• Leaf miner Small grubs which tunnel inside the leaves of plants such as chrysanthemums and delphiniums, producing silvery lines or blotches. Spray with Gamma-BHC, pirimiphosmethyl or pyrethrins insecticides.
• Leaf spot Many diseases cause brown or blackish spots on leaves of flowering plants. If not too many leaves are affected, pick them off; otherwise spray with a copper fungicide.
• Mealy bug Grey-white soft-bodied insects, covered with white silky wool, which feed on the stems of many greenhouse plants, such as cacti and succulents and shrubs. Spray regularly with malathion; or if plants are sensitive to this, dab the pests with methylated spirits.
• Powdery mildew Appears as a white powdery deposit on leaves and shoot tips of many plants. Severe attack can cause distortion. Often seen on chrysanthemums, Michaelmas daisies and delphiniums. Spray with benomyl or a sulphur fungicide.
• Rust Appears as rust-coloured pustules on the undersides of leaves of plants such as camations, chrysanthemums, hollyhocks and antirrhinums. Destroy the affected leaves. Spray plants with mancozeb fungicide.
• Scale Scale-like brownish immobile insects found clustered on stems of greenhouse plants (sometimes also found outdoors). Spray with malathion.
• Red spider mites Microscopic red spider-like creatures whose feeding habits result in fine pale mottling on leaves of greenhouse plants. Spray regularly with malathion or dimethoate or pirimiphos-methyl. Or use biological control: the predatory mite Phytoseiulus
• Viruses Classed as diseases. There are dozens of kinds, causing stunted or deformed growth and/or mottled or streaked foliage. There is no cure: affected plants should be dug up and burnt. Aphids spread viruses, so keep these under control.
• Whitefly A tiny white fly, found in colonies on the undersides of leaves of many plants under glass. Spray with pirimiphos-methyl, or fumigate the greenhouse with pirimophos-methyl smoke. Or use biological control: the parasitic wasp Encarsia Formosa.

Four troubles affecting flowers

• Pests and diseases can attack the flowers of various ornamental plants, ruining the display unless they are dealt with in time.
• Capsid bug Often found on dahlias and chrysanthemums. They may kill flower buds, or cause the flowers to be deformed.
• Earwig Brown beetle-like creatures with rear pincers. They eat petals of chrysanthemums and dahlias. Spray with gamma-BHC or cypermethrin insecticides. Alternatively, trap by placing rolls of corrugated cardboard or clay pots loosely stuffed with straw among the plants. The earwigs hide there during the day and may be picked out and destroyed.
• Thrips Tiny flies whose feeding habits result in silvery flecking on flowers. Gladioli particularly susceptible. Spray with dimethoate.

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