Epiphyllum diseases and pests and their control

Epiphyllum pests

aphid

Aphids are a common insect pest on plants. When aphids appear on Epiphyllum, if there are few insects, you can kill them manually by brushing them off with tools such as brushes, or you can spray pesticides. There are special insecticides for aphids.

Red Spider

Red spider mites are pests that suck plant sap with their mouthparts, endangering the health of Epiphyllum. When you find red spider mites on Epiphyllum, you can use pesticides to kill them, or you can use pepper water, tobacco water spray and other methods to repel insects.

Scale insects

Scale insects are common pests of Epiphyllum and are extremely difficult to eradicate completely. When the disease occurs, the leaves will be covered with small white spots, which is a terrible sight.

The body of scale insects is covered with a layer of keratinous shell, so it is not easy to kill them with pesticides. However, spraying during the larval stage of the insects is more effective.

When Epiphyllum is attacked by scale insects, you may try some folk remedies, such as wiping the diseased plants with white wine, vinegar, alcohol, laundry detergent, etc., which has a certain effect.

Diseases of Epiphyllum

anthrax

Among the several diseases of Epiphyllum, Anthracnose is very common. When the disease occurs, brown spots appear on the leaves, then continue to expand, the leaves turn yellow, and even the entire leaf dies. Anthracnose is generally caused by bacteria and is prone to occur in the summer when the temperature is high and the humidity is high.

When a disease is discovered, the source of infection must be controlled. Generally, prevention is the main approach, with appropriate water control, lower air humidity, and increased ventilation. If you find diseased leaves, you can cut them off to prevent the disease from spreading.

Root rot

Epiphyllum can suffer from root rot, which causes the roots to rot and the leaves to wrinkle, causing great harm. Root rot is usually caused by fungal infection or insects in the roots. Overwatering can also cause root rot.

The basic treatment method is to control watering to avoid over-wetting of the soil in the pot; remove rotten roots and re-cutting; change the pot and soil, and disinfect the roots and new soil.