Beautifully decorated balconies and terraces are the showpiece of our houses and apartments. He althy, impressive plants please our eyes and arouse admiration and envy among guests and neighbors. However, sometimes it happens that despite proper care, the plants may show symptoms of diseases or pest attacks. We advise how to deal with these problems on balconies and terraces.
The most common pests of balcony and terrace plants are aphids
The most common pests of balcony and terrace plants are, of course, aphids.They are small sucking insects, differing in color and size. They usually reach a size of 2 to 5 millimeters and have colors from yellow through black and pink to white and even brown. Some species feed on all plants, others are more picky and choose specific plant species. Aphids cause great damage to our plants. They suck the sap from the leaves, causing them to curl and dry out. Affected plants usually stop growing and the leaves of young shoots are distorted. Insects secrete a sticky substance (called honey dew or honeydew), which is an ideal medium for the development of fungal infections.Aphidsare also vectors of viral diseases, which are very dangerous and incurable for plants.
"So how do you deal with these pests? After aphids appear on our plants, a necessary treatment is to perform a spraying. The safest are non-chemical preparations, e.g. potassium soap with a garlic scent or the natural Agrocover preparation, the active substance of which is algae extract.In order to effectively destroy the aphids, the plant must be thoroughly coated with a working liquid. A very great advantage of this preparation is its selectivity - it only destroys pests, does not kill ladybugs, gold-eyed or other beneficial insects.
Among the chemicals recommended for plant protection against aphids are: Decis 2.5 EC (5 ml of the agent per 10 liters of water) ,Karate Zeon 050 SC(used in the proportion of 2.5 - 5 ml of the agent per 10 liters of water) or Confidor 200 SL (recommended proportion: 4 ml of the preparation per 10 liters of water).
Other pests that can visit our garden on the balcony arespider mitesThese are mites with a maximum length of 10 mm, yellowish green to orange red. They are commonly referred to as red spiders. The development of insects is favored by high temperature and dry air. Hop spider mite is the most common on balconies and terraces. It is orange in color and feeds on the underside of the leaves. How to recognize that our plants have been attacked by this pest? Here are the basic symptoms: "
- yellow-white spots appear on the leaves, which over time cover more and more leaf surface, causing it to dry and fall,
- sometimes the leaves are wrapped in a thin spider web,
- less flowering, inhibition of plant growth.
In order to avoid a reduction in the yield of flowers or deterioration of their quality due to the feeding of the spider mite, this pest should be systematically controlled. Regular sprinkling of plants can prevent the appearance of spider mites. After the appearance of pests, spray it thoroughlywith garlic-scented potassium soapAmong the chemicals to protect plants against spider mites, the following preparations are recommended: Karate Zeon 050 CS (5 ml of the agent per 10 liters of water),Talstar 100 EC(5ml of agent for 10 liters of water), Magus 200 SC (6ml of agent for 10 liters of water),Envidor 240 SC(2, 5 ml of the agent per 10 liters of water).
Leaf damage caused by spider mites
On flowers and leaves of balcony plants you can also observethripsHow to recognize their existence on our plants? The thrips suck the sap from the plant cells, causing irregular spots on the surface of the leaves and flower petals, in which there are also black lumps, which are the droppings of these pests. The leaves gradually die and dry out. Yellow-brown, corky surfaces may appear in places of damage. If we are not sure whether it is thrips that are destroying our plant, it is worth doing a test for which a plain white sheet of paper is enough. We shake our plant over a white sheet of paper and see if there are small (1-2 mm) comma-shaped individuals moving on it. To combat most of the thrips found in us, chemical agents are recommended, such as:Talstar 100 EC(5 ml of the agent per 10 liters of water),Confidor 200 SL( 8-12.5 ml of the preparation per 10 liters of water) or Fastac 100 EC (2.5-5 ml of the agent per 10 liters of water).
" The greenhouse whitefly is another pest of our balcony plants. Whiteflies are winged insects, popularly known as white flies. We can notice them when we move our plant, then they fly around like crazy. Their harmfulness consists in sucking the sap from the plant, leading to its gradual death. Initially, small spots appear on the leaves, which become larger with time, and as a result they dry up and fall off. The most susceptible to attack by whiteflies are fuchsia, geraniums, slippers, Chinese roses, impatiens. "
In order to eliminate the whitefly from our plants, it is worth usingpotassium soap with the scent of garlicYou can also reach for chemicals such as:Talstar 100 EC , Karate Zeon 050 SClubConfidor 200 SLIn the fight against whiteflies, it is also worth using yellow sticky boards against pests. Thanks to them, we can catch the initial stage, that is the first flight of adult insects.
Entonem , and when the soil warms up to 12 ° C, useLarvanemInsects can also be combated with contact chemicals, e.g.Fastac 100 EC ,Sumi-Alpha 050 ECorDecis 2.5 EC Spraying should be carried out late in the evening or at night.
Leaf damage caused by gray mold
Balcony and terrace plants are also attacked by fungal diseases. Gray mold is very common on flowering plants in balcony pots and boxes, e.g.in on geraniums, roses, cyclamen and carnations. The pathogen appears mainly where plants grow in unfavorable conditions - too low air or soil temperature, overdrying or overflow of the substrate. Mechanical or pest damage is also often the site of disease infection. The symptoms of gray mold are visible on all above-ground organs of the plant. As a result of infection, spots appear on the edges of the leaves, tapering wedge-shaped towards the center of the leaf blade in the V-shape. Very often the edges of these spots are surrounded by a yellow border. A gray, dusty coating appears on the affected parts of the plant. In order to protect plants against gray mold, spray one of the following biopreparations:Bioczos BR , Biosept 33 SL,Grevit 200 SL , Polyversum WP or Potassium soap with the scent of garlicChemical preparations can also be used against gray mold:Rovlar Flo 255 SC(2 ml of the agent per 1 liter of water),Sumilex 500 SC(1 ml of the agent per 1 liter of water) orTopsin M 500 SC(1-1.5 ml of the preparation per 1 liter of water).
Another disease that often appears on our balcony plants ispowdery mildewThe disease mainly affects such plants as: azaleas, barberry, phlox, maples, roses, rhododendrons, clematis and many others. The symptoms of this disease are quite distinctive and easy to recognize. The presence of powdery mildew is associated with the appearance of a white or white-gray powdery coating on the plants. Powdery mildew infects buds, shoots, leaves, flowers and fruit. The affected buds develop deformed leaves covered with a profuse white coating that darkens with time. Black surroundings of the fungus are visible on the tarnished spots. Infected shoots are shortened and flowers are diminished. Infected parts of the plant should be cut and burned, and the whole plant should be sprayed with the following preparation: Topsin M 500 SC (1-1.5 ml of the preparation per 1 liter of water), Dithane NeoTec 75 WG (20-30 g of the preparation per 10 liters of water), Score 250 EC ( 5 ml of the agent per 10 liters of water) or water with the biological agentPolyversum(5 g of the preparation per 10 liters of water).
Downy mildewis also often found on terraces and balconies. On balconies, it is most often found on roses, but it can also appear on other plants. This dangerous disease usually surprises due to the rapid development of symptoms. The first symptoms of downy mildew are bright spots between the veins of the apical leaves. There is a whitish or gray coating of mycelium at the spots, but on the underside of the leaves, which can sometimes also appear on the shoots. Infected leaves fall. A delicate, whitish mycelium coating can be observed on the flowers. How to fight this disease? Infected parts of the plant should be cut and burned, and the plant should be sprayed with a fungicide, e.g. Miedzian 50 WP,Dithane NeoTec 75 WG ,Amistar 250 SCor use a biopreparationBiosept 33 SLorPolyversumWe can also usepotassium soap with garlic scent to fight both mildews
Rustis another disease that affects our plants on balconies and terraces.One of the most frequently infested plants is geranium, but rusts can also be found on plants such as mallow, chrysanthemum, roses, carnations, barberry, rhododendrons and mahogany. On the lower side of the leaves, we can see raised brown elevations (lumps). In these places, but on the upper side of the leaves, there are light green or yellowish spots. To protect against rust, plants should be sprayed withBiosept 33 SL ,Potassium Garlic-scented soapor chemical protection agents:Amistar 250 SC ,Dithane NeoTec 75 WG
Various types of stains often appear on the leaves of our plants, and the diseases that cause them are calledspotistościamand we can find them on many plants, incl. on roses and geraniums. Black blotch of leaves appears on roses, which manifests itself in purple-purple spots with irregular jagged edges. The spots cover a large area of the leaf blade. When plants are attacked by blotch fungi, sprayBioczos BR ,with garlic-scented potassium soapor chemicalDithane NeoTec 75 WG ,Topsin M 500 SCorScore 250 EC
Our plants can also be infected by a number ofsoil diseases , incl. Phytophthora, seedling gangrene or root rot. In the case of these diseases, the plant is watered with Magnicur Energy 840 SL.
Remember, however, that prevention is better than cure, so let's follow the basic rules of plant care:
- plants should be planted at such a distance from each other that there is free air flow between each plant,
- water regularly with standing, cool (but not ice-cold) water, preferably in the early morning or evening. We try not to pour water over the leaves,
- remove dried flowers and leaves,
- we regularly feed the plants with fertilizers in the doses recommended for them,
- plants for the balcony and terrace are selected according to the prevailing conditions.
If we have to reach for preparations to combat plant diseases and pests, let's choose those based on natural ingredients, safe for people and the surrounding environment.This is especially important on balconies and terraces, close to the apartments in which we spend most of the day. Whoever read the above text carefully, probably noticed the safe use ofPolyversumandpotassium soapThey are useful in combating most problems occurring on balcony plants and terraced. We should only use chemical plant protection products as a last resort, remembering not only about our own safety, but also about our neighbors, who may be on the balcony next door, when spraying.
Aleksandra Dziugan-Smoleń
