Carnations are very durable herbaceous plants that produce flowers for much of the year and hardly need care. However, in order to be able to enjoy them without problems, we have to know that there is a real risk that they will end up being attacked by a plague or infected by a fungus.
For this reason, we are going to tell you about the pests and diseases of carnations and their treatment so that, in this way, you know what to do if your plants ever get weak or sick.
Index
- 1 pests
- 1.1 Slugs
- 1.2 Thrips
- 1.3 Aphids
- 1.4 European tortrix
- 1.5 Miners
- 2 diseases
- 2.1 Rust
- 2.2 Fusarium
- 2.3 Carnation variegated virus
- 2.4 Weakening
pests
Let’s start with the pests.
slugs
They are molluscs about 5-6cm long that come out on very humid days. When they come across a carnation, they feed on all of its parts . Even so, it can be avoided if we use molluscicides or the anti-snail and anti-slug home remedies.
thrips
Image – Ecoterrazas.com
They are like very small black earwigs that feed on the underside of the leaves , where we will see black dots (organic remains of the parasites) as well as the thrips themselves. They are eliminated with Chlorpyrifos or Isofenphos.
aphids
They are parasites of about 0.5cm of red, green or brown color that feed on the cells of the leaves and flower buds . We can control them by placing yellow sticky traps near the plants.
european tortrix
It is a Lepidoptera whose larvae feed on flowers . They are eliminated with insecticides for caterpillars.
miners
Image – Elhuertodetatay.com
They are diptera whose larvae dig galleries in the leaves , thus weakening the carnations. To avoid this, we have to treat them with Acephate.
Diseases
Diseases that can affect carnations are:
Rust
It is a fungus that produces orange spots on the leaves and stems . To prevent it from running its course, the affected parts must be removed and treated with a fungicide.
fusarium
It is a fungal disease that rots the roots and weakens the stem . It acts very fast and is almost always fatal, so it is important to do preventive treatments with systemic fungicides or copper and avoid excessive watering.
Carnation variegated virus
It is a virus that produces small spots in brown or purple lines or rings . It is necessary to eliminate the affected parts and keep the diseased specimen away from the rest of the carnations to avoid the transmission of the disease.
weakening
It is caused by a viroid that causes growth disturbances . To control it, in vitro culture of meristematic tips is recommended.
Has it been useful to you?
