Common Pests of Purple-Leaf Plum and Their Control

Common moth pests of purple-leaf plum

Moth pests

Moth pests are one of the more common pests of purple-leaf plum, including bagworms and yellow thorn moths. These moth pests mainly damage the leaves of purple-leaf plum.

Moth pests include bag moths and yellow thorn moths. After hatching, their larvae will eat the leaves of purple-leaf plum. As the pests continue to grow, the damage will gradually increase. The leaves of purple-leaf plum will be eaten up in a short period of time. In severe cases, it may even cause the branches to wither or the entire plant to die.

Prevention and treatment methods

In order to prevent purple-leaf plum plants from being harmed by moth pests, timely protection is needed and the cocoons need to be removed in a timely manner. When moth pests appear, they need to be concentratedly trapped and killed in the larval stage or sprayed with insecticides such as diazinon suspension, cathepsin, and chlorpyrifos. You can also use natural enemies to capture pests.

Common scale insects on purple-leaf plum

Scale

The scale insect is a common sucking pest of purple-leaf plum. If the insect eggs overwinter in the soil during the winter, an insect pest may break out in the next year. When an insect infestation occurs, scale insects will hatch on the trees in January and February and suck sap.

Prevention and treatment methods

When it comes to scale insects, the most important thing is prevention. In winter, you need to remove dead leaves and diseased branches of purple-leaf plum to prevent insect eggs from overwintering. In addition, you can also scrape off the peeling bark on the tree and fill the gaps with mud. If there is a scale infestation next year, you can apply sticky insect glue on the tape to prevent the pests from climbing onto the tree. You can also use natural enemies for prevention and control, and spray pesticides when necessary.

Common red spider mites on purple-leaf plum

Red Spider

Red spider mites are actually a common pest of purple-leaf plum. Red spider mites usually break out in May and June because the weather conditions during this period are more conducive to the growth and reproduction of red spider mites.