3E


Five Common Pests

APHIDS
Aphids are a common pest for interiorscapes. They usually can be found on the underside of leaves. plants with Aphid infestation can have curled leaves, buds and flowers. They are identifyable by the sap that they secrete and accumulate on the leaves.

MEALYBUGS

Mealybugs appear with white fuzzy patches along the veins of leaves. They suck the sap out of plants resulting in stunted growth.

SPIDER MITES

Spidermites can be found on the undersides of leaves and on the stem apex. They may also be idetified by their web. Spidermites disable chlorophyll used for photosynthesis turning the leaves yellow or gray causing the leaves to drop from some plants.

SCALE

Scales attack plants by sucking plant juices. They cause growth stunting, leaf discoloration and even death of leaf tissue. Knowledge of their life cycle is essential to control scale. Scale only kills in the crawler stage.

THRIP

Thrips damage plants by shredding leaf tissue. Leaves become distorted, yellow, and leaf abscission may occur. They can be identified by small, black specks on the undersides of leaves.

PEST CONTROL


Preventative Conrol

The best way to controll any pest is to maintain a healthy plant. Healthy plants are more resistant to pests making them a harder target for the pests. The key to keeping a healthy plant are to make sure the plant is getting optimal light, nutrition, and water in a siutable environment. Other types of preventative controll may be to wash plants regularly with insecticidal soaps and physically removing visible pests. Also, be careful with introducing annuals into the interiorscape because they may introduce new pests.

Biological Control

Biological control of pests in interiorscapes involves introducing a natural enemy to the pest. These pest predators can be expensive but they are a safe way to control pests.

Chemical Control

Chemical Control is maybe the most effective way to manage a pest that is a major problem in the interiorscape. The drwbacks are that chemicals can be toxic to the plants in the interiorscape and also the people. Since insects are more closely related to people than plants, they are usually damaged by chemicals that can also damage humans. Chemicals also are also relatively expensive to use in the interiorscape.


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