Diseases and pests of star flower and their control methods

Diseases and prevention methods of star flower

Botrytis cinerea

Gray mold often occurs in the rainy season when the humidity is relatively high, or is caused by excessive watering.

In the early stage, the stems and leaves of the plant will produce water-soaked brown spots. In the later stage, the spots gradually spread, causing the leaves and branches to turn yellow and rot. When the humidity in the air is relatively high, gray mold will often appear on the affected areas.

Prevention and treatment methods

During the cultivation of star flower, the cultivation medium should always be kept in a semi-dry state, do not overwater, and place the plant in a ventilated place.

Replace the substrate in the flowerpot frequently and disinfect the new potting soil with thiophanate-methyl. Continue to disinfect the plants after cultivation, using thiophanate-methyl once every 10 days.

Once the star flower plant is found to be diseased, spray the whole plant with 1500 times diluted 50% chlorhexidine or 2000 times diluted ridomil. If the plant is seriously ill, it must be pulled out and burned in time.

Pests and control methods of star flower

Whitefly

Whitefly, adult body length 1-1.5 mm. The wings and chest are covered with white powder. After laying eggs on the top of the plant, the eggs will enter the leaf tissue, maintain water balance with the plant, and are not easy to fall off.

After hatching, the nymphs use their mouthparts to pierce the leaf tissue and absorb nutrients from the plant. The leaves of the plant will fade and turn yellow, and eventually the entire plant will die.

Prevention and treatment methods

In the early stages of cultivation, you can use insect-proof nets to block the invasion of external pests.

Before planting, the flower pots and soil should be sterilized and disinfected to prevent the emergence of pests.

If you grow star flowers at home and find adult whiteflies, you can use yellow boards to trap the adults and apply sticky insect glue to kill them, but you cannot kill the eggs, and this method makes the pest more likely to recur.

Once the plants are found to be infested by whiteflies, spray the whole plant with 2.5% Gongfu 2500-3000 times solution or 20% Metsol 2500 times solution. Severely infested plants should be removed in time.