What should you do when your houseplants and flowers attract pests? A few simple tips to help you prevent and control them

Many people like to grow some flowers and plants indoors, which both greens the environment and cultivates a sense of pleasure. But flowers and plants are not only somewhat delicate to grow, they are also very easily “favored” by small insects, which is annoying and frustrating. Let me introduce several common pests of flowers and plants and how to control them.

Chrysanthemums easily attract aphids

Aphids are mostly green and black, good at flying, with tubular cornicles, shaped like fleas. They are rather fond of flowers such as chrysanthemums, redbud, roses and Chinese rose. They often gather in clusters on the tender tips, flowers and undersides of leaves of flowers and plants, sucking sap and causing leaves to shrivel, which affects flowering. Generally, the pest damage begins to become fairly obvious in mid-April.

Countermeasures: When scattered aphids appear, dip a writing brush in water and brush them off; the brushed-off aphids should be disposed of cleanly in time to prevent them from spreading. You can also soak 40 grams of tobacco powder in 1 kg of water for 48 hours, then filter to obtain the stock solution; when using, dilute with 1 kg of water, add 2~3 grams of washing powder or a little soap solution, stir well and spray the plants. If using physical methods, you can use cardboard or plastic boards coated with yellow color and glue to trap and kill aphids; or use reflective silver-white tin foil to drive aphids away.

Jasmine: watch out for red spider mites

Red spider mites are obovate, with flat backs and bellies, and come in red, dark red, orange-red and other colors. Orchids, jasmine and kumquat are more likely to attract red spider mites. They often hide on the undersides of leaves and on flower buds of flowers and plants, causing leaves to lose green color and wither, and flower buds to shrivel; in severe cases the plant will wither and die. Generally, the pest damage is more serious in June~July.

Countermeasures: Soak orange peel in 10 times its amount of water for a whole day and night, then filter and spray the plants, once a day for 3 consecutive days. In addition, you can also light a whole mosquito coil and place it in the flower pot, then tie a plastic bag tightly around the pot; after 1 hour of fumigation, both eggs and adult insects can be killed. This is a good method that is both economical and fast-acting.

Chinese rose: keep away from yellow stinging moths

The larvae of the yellow stinging moth have a yellow-brown head and a yellow-green thorax, with a pair of spines on each side of the dorsal line of each segment. They are mostly seen on camellia, redbud, Chinese rose and Malus spectabilis, and often eat all the leaves of flowers and plants.

Countermeasures: The yellow stinging moth is rather fond of light and has a strong phototaxis, so you can place a lamp beside the flowers to trap and kill it.

In addition, for the brown, rather pointed small insects that often “infest” plants such as anthurium and cyclamen, and the mosquito-like flies that are fond of poinsettia and pansy, you can spray them with garlic juice, chili water, Sichuan pepper water, etc. in the early stages.

Simple tips to help your flowers and plants solve pest problems

Chrysanthemum

Many people like to grow some flowers and plants indoors, which both greens the environment and cultivates a sense of pleasure. But flowers and plants are not only somewhat delicate to grow, they are also very easily "favored" by small insects, which is annoying and frustrating. Next, I will introduce several common pests of flowers and plants and how to control them.

Chrysanthemums easily attract aphids

Aphids are mostly green and black, good at flying, with tubular cornicles, shaped like fleas. They are rather fond of flowers such as chrysanthemums, redbud, roses and Chinese rose. They often gather in clusters on the tender tips, flowers and undersides of leaves of flowers and plants, sucking sap and causing leaves to shrivel, which affects flowering. Generally, the pest damage begins to become fairly obvious in mid-April.

Countermeasures: When scattered aphids appear, dip a writing brush in water and brush them off; the brushed-off aphids should be disposed of cleanly in time to prevent them from spreading. You can also soak 40 grams of tobacco powder in 1 kg of water for 48 hours, then filter to obtain the stock solution; when using, dilute with 1 kg of water, add 2~3 grams of washing powder or a little soap solution, stir well and spray the plants. If using physical methods, you can use cardboard or plastic boards coated with yellow color and glue to trap and kill aphids; or use reflective silver-white tin foil to drive aphids away.

Jasmine: watch out for red spider mites

Red spider mites are obovate, with flat backs and bellies, and come in red, dark red, orange-red and other colors. Orchids, jasmine and kumquat are more likely to attract red spider mites. They often hide on the undersides of leaves and on flower buds of flowers and plants, causing leaves to lose green color and wither, and flower buds to shrivel; in severe cases the plant will wither and die. Generally, the pest damage is more serious in June~July.

Countermeasures: Soak orange peel in 10 times its amount of water for a whole day and night, then filter and spray the plants, once a day for 3 consecutive days. In addition, you can also light a whole mosquito coil and place it in the flower pot, then tie a plastic bag tightly around the pot; after 1 hour of fumigation, both eggs and adult insects can be killed. This is a good method that is both economical and fast-acting.

Chinese rose: keep away from yellow stinging moths

The larvae of the yellow stinging moth have a yellow-brown head and a yellow-green thorax, with a pair of spines on each side of the dorsal line of each segment. They are mostly seen on camellia, redbud, Chinese rose and Malus spectabilis, and often eat all the leaves of flowers and plants.

Countermeasures: The yellow stinging moth is rather fond of light and has a strong phototaxis, so you can place a lamp beside the flowers to trap and kill it.

In addition, for the brown, rather pointed small insects that often "infest" plants such as anthurium and cyclamen, and the mosquito-like flies that are fond of poinsettia and pansy, you can spray them with garlic juice, chili water, Sichuan pepper water, etc. in the early stages.

(The author is a professor at Nanping Agricultural School, Fujian Province)

Simple tips to help your flowers and plants solve pest problems

Chrysanthemum

News from the China Landscape Network on November 4: Many people like to grow some flowers and plants indoors, which both greens the environment and cultivates a sense of pleasure. But flowers and plants are not only somewhat delicate to grow, they are also very easily "favored" by small insects, which is annoying and frustrating. Next, I will introduce several common pests of flowers and plants and how to control them.

Chrysanthemums easily attract aphids

Aphids are mostly green and black, good at flying, with tubular cornicles, shaped like fleas. They are rather fond of flowers such as chrysanthemums, redbud, roses and Chinese rose. They often gather in clusters on the tender tips, flowers and undersides of leaves of flowers and plants, sucking sap and causing leaves to shrivel, which affects flowering. Generally, the pest damage begins to become fairly obvious in mid-April.

Countermeasures: When scattered aphids appear, dip a writing brush in water and brush them off; the brushed-off aphids should be disposed of cleanly in time to prevent them from spreading. You can also soak 40 grams of tobacco powder in 1 kg of water for 48 hours, then filter to obtain the stock solution; when using, dilute with 1 kg of water, add 2~3 grams of washing powder or a little soap solution, stir well and spray the plants. If using physical methods, you can use cardboard or plastic boards coated with yellow color and glue to trap and kill aphids; or use reflective silver-white tin foil to drive aphids away.

Jasmine: watch out for red spider mites

Red spider mites are obovate, with flat backs and bellies, and come in red, dark red, orange-red and other colors. Orchids, jasmine and kumquat are more likely to attract red spider mites. They often hide on the undersides of leaves and on flower buds of flowers and plants, causing leaves to lose green color and wither, and flower buds to shrivel; in severe cases the plant will wither and die. Generally, the pest damage is more serious in June~July.

Countermeasures: Soak orange peel in 10 times its amount of water for a whole day and night, then filter and spray the plants, once a day for 3 consecutive days. In addition, you can also light a whole mosquito coil and place it in the flower pot, then tie a plastic bag tightly around the pot; after 1 hour of fumigation, both eggs and adult insects can be killed. This is a good method that is both economical and fast-acting.

Chinese rose: keep away from yellow stinging moths

The larvae of the yellow stinging moth have a yellow-brown head and a yellow-green thorax, with a pair of spines on each side of the dorsal line of each segment. They are mostly seen on camellia, redbud, Chinese rose and Malus spectabilis, and often eat all the leaves of flowers and plants.

Countermeasures: The yellow stinging moth is rather fond of light and has a strong phototaxis, so you can place a lamp beside the flowers to trap and kill it.

In addition, for the brown, rather pointed small insects that often "infest" plants such as anthurium and cyclamen, and the mosquito-like flies that are fond of poinsettia and pansy, you can spray them with garlic juice, chili water, Sichuan pepper water, etc. in the early stages.

(The author is a professor at Nanping Agricultural School, Fujian Province)