COMMON PESTS AND DISEASES in the PNW

You can avoid most pests and diseases by following some simple procedures:

            Plant in clean containers with soil that drains well.  Repot when soil gets packed hard.

            Clean up dead leaves and other debris.  Pests and fungus hide there.

            Ventilate the plants well.

            Water, misted or sprayed, will remove many pests.  Water in the morning.

However,  there are times when keeping up is difficult and problems occur.

Outdoors, fuchsias are not bothered by many pests or diseases.  Rain and ventilation help keep them happy.  Rust can appear in spring or mostly in fall when it is unusually wet. 

Indoors in greenhouses, particularly in spring, aphids may line up on stems for the new, tender growth. 

White flies can show up any time.  

Over summer, root weevils can get into containers, eat the roots and kill the plant, indoors or out.

     Besides the many commercial products available in gardening centers, there are some homemade recipes that NWFS members have found to be less expensive, easily kept on hand, and they work well when things get out of hand: 

For aphids, white flies, spider mites, and thrips-

            ISOPROPHYL ALCOHOL- 70 %     1 part alcohol- 3 or 4 parts water.

Add a ‘spreader sticker’/wetting agent.*  Spray it on the fuchsia,  particularly under the leaves and on the stems.

            (* Spreader stickers increase the effectiveness of contact sprays.  Examples:

A couple drops of  Ivory Liquid (soap, not detergent)  in your sprayer bottle.

A couple drops of vegetable oil like Canola, the lightest and least expensive.

Ivory bath soap can be grated & kept in a jar.  1 T per quart. )

For fungus problems like rust, botrytis, gray mold-

            HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, 3 %, use full strength.

(NOTE:  A higher concentration than 3% may harm the plant.)

Keep it in its brown bottle and add the sprayer to it.

Spray it on leaves and stems.

Make sure the plants are well-ventilated around the leaves and in the soil.

For slugs-

Remove them.  Look for babies as well

Get rid of them in whatever manner you prefer.  There are some good 'slug riddance' products on the market.

Put whatever you choose near moist, shady areas like where slugs can get under wood, leaves...

For yellow leaves-

1 T. Epson salts.  Dissolve in a glass of hot water.

Add it to your gallon watering can and water the soil.

For cleaning pots, greenhouses, eliminating mold and algae-

Bleach/Clorox-  7 %   ¼ c per gal. Spray or dip.

For root weevil (aka black vine weevil, rhododendron root weevil, strawberry root weevil)-

     Several products have been tried-  coco fiber, fine mulch, coffee  grounds…sticky goo, but the most effective controls, unfortunately NOT homemade, are…           

BENEFICIAL NEMATODES

Use as directed. A watering can with a nozzle with small holes works as well as spraying.

Apply again in August

Available in gardening centers, locally and by mail order.

For removing water/mineral marks on containers:

Soap and water.

Vinegar if plant cannot be removed from container.

For disinfecting tools and containers:

Chlorine bleach is corrosive and can cause pilling and discoloration on metal.  Instead,  try alcohol, Listerine, Lysol, or Pine Sol.  Then rinse.

RECOGNIZING PESTS AND DISEASES:

P or D-                           Symptoms/ Cause                                                      

Aphids-  Curled leaves or sticky leaves- you can easily see them on stems with their long 'beak'/ Not well-ventilated. 

Botrytis- Damping off.  Young stems collapse./ Not well-ventilated.

Gray Mold- Fluffy gray mold on plants. / Not well-ventilated.

Spider mites- Leaves get webbed, dappled and stripled with red or bronze              areas, and drop.  Tiny mites can be seen under the leaves. / Too dry.

Root weevil -  Plants collapse.  Small white grubs are found feeding on roots.  Nearby rhodies show notched leaf margins- a warning.

Rust-  Orangish, rusty areas appear, usually under the leaves. /Not well-ventilated; too moist.

Slugs - They love moist greenhouses and tender growth to raise their young.     

Look under the pots as well.

Thrips- Small, narrow-bodied, yellow, brown or black insects seem to be  smothering the plant.  Shoots and flower buds are damaged. / Too warm or too little water, not common in the PNW.

White Flies- Under the leaves, small white eggs are laid- leaves become sticky.

When the plant is touched,  little, white flies scatter frantically into the air.

Yellow leaves- The plant is lacking magnesium.