Aphids
Commonly found on trees, shrubs, and garden ornamentals. Aphids feed by sucking sap from a plants new leaf growth. When populations are severe the damage can cause wilting, leaf curling, and dieback of shoots and buds. The sticky honeydew (aphids waste material) is an attractant for ants, yellow jacket wasps, flies, and bees which can be as much a nuisance as damage done to the plant itself.
Control measures
Aphids are easy to kill but very persistent due to rapid reproduction with many eggs and very small immatures on the plant as well as the adults. First order of control is to wash them off with water. Hold your hand behind the stem, flower or branch as to not break it. Any insects knocked to the ground cannot crawl back up. This will reduce populations significantly, but not eliminate them. Then move on to sprays.
Mechanical – syringing (rinsing with bursts of water from hose end) and handpicking
Chemical –
- Bonide Horticultural Oil Spray RTU & RTS or Fertilome Neem Oil RTU – softest
- Natural Guard Spinosad Soap (spinosad + insecticidal soap) RTU & RTS – softer, natural
- Bonide Eight Insect Control Garden & Home (lambda-cyhalothrin) RTU & RTS, – effective chemical control
Hot Weather Tips
- When the temperature goes over 90 degrees; an extra dose of water will help keep your flowers flourishing throughout the summer.
- Check flowers twice daily for water, once in the morning and again in the evening. Some pots/beds may require additional water applications to fight the heat.
- Apply enough water so that the water is coming out the bottom of container, especially hanging baskets.
- If a basket or patio pot seems to be stressing and ‘going down’, do not panic!
- Flowers pots that may be struggling in the heat should be moved to a protected location to take off the stress. Water thoroughly. Then when it cools down, move them back to original location.
- Don’t get caught over-watering when temps cool down again.
- Keep up with your regular fertilizer regime.
- Fertilize every 7-14 days with our Jack’s Blossom Booster or Petunia Feed. When we water more, nutrients are washed out of the soil and flowers need that extra ‘fuel’ to keep producing new flowers.
- Prune and cut back straggly growth, especially from petunias, callies and verbena. This helps the plant put energy into new growth. Don’t be afraid to give your plants a little haircut. They will flush out again even bigger and better.
- Is the location good for your plants? As the sun moves around in the summer, a patio pot that was doing fantastic in May is now struggling in the hot sun. Move your container around to a shadier location and see if that helps with the stress. Or maybe it is the opposite – a fully leafed out tree my now be hindering growth of sunny flowers.
- In the landscape, any newly planted roses, perennials, shrubs, or trees will require additional irrigation applications
- In between automatic irrigation applications, supplement with a manual application of water from your hose to keep newly planted flowers from drying out.
