What are the home remedies for controlling flower pests at home?

As summer arrives, pests on household flowers and other plants also become active; these pests harm the flowers and plants while also causing some nuisance to our lives. Home gardening is mainly container-based, and the species cultivated vary, so the pest species that occur on flowers and plants also differ.

1. Piercing-sucking mouthpart pests insert their stylets into the leaves, flowers, tender shoots, stems and other tissues of flowers to pierce and suck the sap. The appearance of the affected flowers shows no mechanical damage, but it causes discolored spots on the affected parts, tissue malformation (leaf curling and wrinkling, galls, etc.), and weakens plant growth. Common ones include scale insects, aphids, thrips, whiteflies and mites.

2. Chewing mouthpart pests cause mechanical damage after harming flowers, leaving the leaves of affected plants defective, eating the leaf mesophyll and leaving only a network of leaf veins; the pests bore inside, creating holes, forming tunnels, causing leaves to wilt and drop early, etc. Examples include the yellow nettle caterpillar, scarab beetles, tent caterpillars, longhorn beetles, leaf-mining flies, white grubs (scarab beetle larvae), black cutworms, mole crickets, etc.

Many households always feel that purchased pesticides for killing pests are unsafe and dare not use them, so here are several methods:

Tobacco: Tobacco has stomach-poison, contact-poison and fumigant effects, and can paralyze and poison pests to death; because of its strong penetration, it also has a certain insecticidal effect. How to use: add water at 50-60 times the amount to tobacco stems or leftover cigarette butts, soak for a day and a night, filter and spray, which can control aphids, red spiders and newly hatched scale insects.

Washing powder: It has a strong contact-poison effect on pests; the washing powder solution can soften the waxy layer on the pest's body surface and penetrate into the insect body, blocking the pest's body surface spiracles and causing it to suffocate to death. How to use: a 200-300 times solution can control leafhoppers, and 600-1000 times can control red spiders, aphids and scale insects. Neutral washing powder should be chosen.

Soapy water: Take ordinary laundry soap, or leftover small pieces, cut them into thin slices, dissolve them in hot water, add water at a ratio of 1:60-70, and spray after cooling to control aphids and spider mites. If cigarette butts (with the ash removed) are soaked in soapy water, besides controlling aphids and spider mites, it can also control thrips, whiteflies and leafhoppers. Soapy water must not be used for a long time, as it easily makes the potting soil alkaline.

Essential balm: Dilute it to a 600-800 times solution to control aphids, scale insects and moth and butterfly larvae; a 400-600 times solution can control red spiders.

Mosquito coils: Light them and hang them on the plants, then seal with plastic film for 10 minutes to fumigate and kill whiteflies.

Vinegar: Mix bottled vinegar with water at 4-8 times and spray, once every 3 days, to control scale insects.

Sichuan pepper water: Boil 100 g of Sichuan pepper in 3 kg of water, and spray after cooling to control scale insects.

Garlic: Take 0.5 kg of garlic, crush it into a paste (12.5 kg), soak, filter and spray on the potting soil surface to prevent ants and earthworms.

Scallion: Take 1 kg of scallion leaves, dry them in the sun, grind them into powder, add 7.5 kg of water, soak, filter and spray to control aphids and soft-bodied animals such as snails.

Onion: Take 20 g of onion bulb, crush it, add 1000 ml of water, soak for 24 h, filter and spray to control aphids and red spiders.