Pests of petunias: what to do if white midges, aphids, spider mites or whiteflies appear on the plant, how to deal with them with folk and other means?

Petunia is a persistent and hardy plant native to countries with a humid and warm climate, but any mistake in leaving is fraught with the appearance of pests. Having noticed the first signs of their "work", measures are taken without delay.

How to deal with aphids, spider mites and white midges? What chemicals and folk remedies will help get rid of pests?

We will talk about this in detail in our article. Also watch a useful video on this topic.

Growth Features

Shine. Growing petunia, the first thing they care about is creating the right lighting. Daylight hours are important for seedlings, an adult plant during flowering and vegetation. She does not have enough sunlight, and therefore the task of the grower is to organize additional illumination for at least 12-16 hours a day for six weeks. In this case, the flowering will be early and long.
Temperature. Although petunia is a heat-loving plant, in summer it is fatal to temperatures above +24, and in winter above +15 degrees Celsius.
Watering. In the summer months, it should be plentiful, and in the winter - moderate.

ATTENTION! Petunia is a member of the nightshade family. She is susceptible to viral diseases. More than 20 pathogenic species that negatively affect growth and flowering pose a danger to it. Diseases caused by microorganisms have common features: instant spread, ease of tolerance from a patient to a healthy plant.

Types of insects and ways to combat them

Most often, thrips hit the petunia - tiny insects that eat it. Transfer of infection is possible due to the use of tools by the grower without preliminary treatment with an alcohol solution.

Aphid

Aphids are tiny insects. The color of the body varies. It can be black, green or gray. This pest is taking a fancy to the underside of bush leaves. After eating them, he moves to the buds and pedicels. Gradually, he bites into all the tissues of culture, sucks out all the juices from them. Petunia dries up and dies (we talked about this and other possible causes of drying of the petunia, as well as ways to save the plant here).

How does aphid enter a house? Often a florist buys plants affected by a pest and brings them into the house. Suspecting nothing, he puts them on a windowsill next to a petunia and subsequently heals all the aphids. Bouquets, leaves and branches that are used in creating unusual interior compositions can be infected. Sometimes the grower does not disinfect the soil before transplanting, but it is infected with aphid eggs.

Signs:

Leaf deformation.
There is no certainty that a plant is healthy when examined in daylight.
White sandpaper on the leaves.
Dry edges on the leaves due to lack of iron.
Shiny dew that looks like sweet syrup. Over time, it transforms into plaque.
The appearance of ants.
Withering young buds.

Fighting aphids on petunias with folk remedies. Experienced flower growers put onion, hot pepper or garlic next to the pot. If there are pots of mint, geranium or daisies in the house, they put them near it. But the most effective method of control is spraying with liquid soap diluted with water. If aphids are noticed late, chemical treatment is indispensable.

IMPORTANT! Any chemical product is as effective as dangerous. It destroys beneficial insects.

Insecticides and pesticides with a high content of fatty acids, pyrethrins and oils are effective in combating aphids. In a flower shop, it is better to buy Decis or Aktara, Karate or Confidor. Using them, adhere to the tips from the instructions from the manufacturer.

Spider mite

Difficult to detect spider mite on petunia leaves. The body is microscopic in size. He drinks juice. If you miss the point and do not conduct timely processing, it is difficult to get rid of it. Only in the fall, the flower grower notices a tick in which the body color changes to orange, and it itself becomes larger.

What are they appearing for? Stressful growth conditions:

dry or hot air in the room;
use of inappropriate fertilizer;
untimely and insufficient watering.

Symptoms

Appearance of red, yellow or silver spots on the leaves.
When examining the underside of the sheet, small dots of white are visible. These are not spots, but parasite eggs.
The appearance of white membranes between the stem and the leaf.

In the fight against spider mites, folk remedies are effective. Experienced growers use 96 percent medical alcohol. They soak a cotton wool and rub the leaves. Such treatment destroys the pest, but soon new individuals hatch from the eggs and petunia again is in danger of death. You can make an infusion of garlic:

For its preparation, take 2 heads of garlic.
They are peeled and then crushed.
The resulting raw materials are put in a jar and poured with a liter of water.
Closing the jar, clean it in a dark cupboard for five days.
Five days later, the infusion is pulled out, diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio and sprayed with petunia.

Insecticides are useless in the fight against spider mites. He is only afraid of acaricides and insectoacaricides. Actellik, Fitoverm and Neoron sell drugs in stores. They are different in effectiveness. Actellik destroys the arachnid insect on the spot. It is better to use it when a spider mite is noticed late. During processing, the plant is taken outside or transferred to a room that can be ventilated.

TIP! Fitoverm has less toxicity, but the restless insect dies after processing it. If the tick lays eggs, buy the drug Neoron. This universal remedy helps to destroy the pest and its eggs, but not the first time.

Watch the video about the spider mite and how to deal with it:

White midges

White midges or pores - active insects with a body length of 0.2-1 mm. They can jump on petunias and hide from the flower grower on the back of the leaf. They are noticed in spring or autumn if the weather is rainy.

Causes:

Abundant watering in summer or rainy weather in the off-season. Excess moisture is a favorable environment for the reproduction of white midges.
Open window. Through it, "mushroom mosquitoes" enter the room. If they find a wet substrate, they will remain and lay eggs in it.
Use of soil without thermal or chemical treatment.

You can get rid of white midges by purchasing the Raptor or Combat aerosol. Along with these universal remedies, special solutions of Grom-2 or Fitoverm help. The main thing after treatment is to cover the petunia with plastic wrap and fix it so that the diseased part is completely hidden under it. When working with chemicals, observe precautions so as not to get poisoning.

Folk remedies help, but not the first time. It is better to use them to prevent the appearance of white midges. To do this, the soil is sprinkled with wood ash, watered the soil with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate or stick four matches of sulfur down into it.

Whitefly

The most dangerous pest - whitefly. This insect, similar to a white moth with a trunk size of 1.3-1.8 mm, flies. It feeds on petunia juice. Having dealt with one plant, it flies to another.

Reasons for the appearance:

A new plant in the house or a flower brought from the garden without tillage.
Warm and humid air.

Insecticides help in the fight against whitefly. Using drugs such as Actellic or Verticillin F, wear special clothing, gloves, goggles and a respirator. Glue traps are also effective for catching adults and transferring the plant to a room where it will be cool for several days.

Watch the video on whitefly and pest control:

Preventative measures

Moderate watering. The flower grower should monitor the volume and frequency of irrigation. The plant is moderately watered in cool weather and in hot weather, preventing moisture congestion in the soil.
Regular inspection of the leaves.
Do not use in irrigation for feeding meat, tea or coffee water.
Periodic loosening of the soil in order to prevent its decay and excessive compaction. Loosening is the best way to enrich the roots with oxygen.

Conclusion

Experienced gardeners rarely notice pests on the leaves and buds of petunias.. They carefully examine the leaves once a week, and they don’t bring flowers from the garden to the house, transplanted into pots with uncultivated soil.

If a spider mite or whitefly has appeared, do not panic, but take urgent measures. In the fight against them, folk remedies and chemicals help.