Carnations are very durable herbaceous plants that produce flowers for much of the year and require little care. However, 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 some plague or the infection of some fungus.
Therefore, we are going to tell you what are the pests and diseases of carnations and its treatment so that, in this way, you know what to do if your plants are ever weakened or sick.
Pests
Let's start with the pests.
Slugs
They are mollusks about 5-6cm long that come out on very humid days. When they come across a carnation, they feed on all its parts. Even so, it can be avoided if we use molluscicides or the anti-snail and anti-slug home remedies that we specify in this article.
Trips
Image - Ecoterrazas.com
They are like very small black earwigs that they feed on the underside of the leaves, where we will see black dots (organic remains of parasites) as well as the thrips themselves. They are eliminated with Chlorpyrifos or with Isofenfos.
Aphids
They are parasites of about 0,5cm of red, green or brown color that they 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 lepidopteran whose larvae they feed on the 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 Acefato.
Management
The diseases that can affect carnations are:
Roya
It is a fungus that produces orange spots on 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 rot the roots and weaken the stem. It works very quickly and is almost always fatal, so it is important to do preventive treatments with systemic fungicides or copper and avoid overwatering.
Carnation marbling 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 keeping 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 apices is recommended.
Has it been useful to you? 🙂