Have you ever found your petunias sticky? This is a problem, because the cause of their becoming like this is a plague that we must discover in order to identify and, therefore, apply the most appropriate treatment for the plants to recover.
But of course, there are several parasites that can do this, so it’s important that you know about each of them. Thus, we will ensure that they have a better chance of advancing.
What Pests Make Petunias Sticky? There are several, so let’s see them separately:
Contents
Snails
We all know what snails look like: they are invertebrate animals that have a shell, a very soft body and a fairly long neck. Good, they love humidity; in fact they come out shortly after it has rained, or even if it is slightly bubbly (or as we sometimes say in Spanish: four drops fall).
As they are herbivores, they eat plants and have no preferences, or at least I wouldn’t say they have any since I’ve seen them eat even spiny cacti. Of course, the most serious damage is that suffered by plants, let’s say harmless, that is, those that do not have thorns, and are also very tender, such as petunias.
What symptoms and/or damage will we see? Mainly one: the leaves will be bitten. And yes, we will also realize that petunias are sticky because of the saliva of these animals.
The treatment is quite simple: just use a snail repellent, or a molluscicide (on sale here). But if we opt for the latter and we have pets, it is important to make sure that the product is not toxic for them.
mealybugs
Image – Flickr/Katja Schulz
Scale insects are one of the most common pests of the vast majority of ornamental plants, including petunias. They appear especially in spring and summer, because the heat benefits them. There are many types, but the ones that can make our protagonists clingy are those that look like cotton, like ribbed cochineal or cottony.; that is, there are others, such as the San José louse, which go more unnoticed because they barely secrete molasses after feeding.
This molasses is a substance that can cause the leaves to stick togetheror that the flower buds have trouble opening. And, also, it is one that can attract other pests, such as ants, which feed on said substance.
If we talk about the symptoms and the damage, what we will see will be discolored spots in areas where scale insects have been. I mean, at first glance, what will grab our attention the most will be the pest itself (those cotton balls we talked about earlier and their offspring that look like little white dots), but if we remove a mealybug, that’s when we see the damage. Of course, it is important to keep in mind that they are concentrated on the underside of the leaves and at the base of them. It is in these places that you will first have to look.
The treatment, as petunias are small, is fairly easy to apply. I recommend using diatomaceous earth (on sale here), which is a natural and ecological product. Simply wet the plants with water and then pour the diatomaceous earth over them, on both sides of the leaves, as well as on the surface of the substrate. Of course, do it when the sun is not shining, otherwise the water will burn the leaves when the magnifying effect occurs.
aphids
Aphids or aphids are another very common pest which, like scale insects, they secrete molasses which, too, attracts ants (in fact, if a plant has ants, it most likely has aphids too).
They are animals that are about 0.5 cm long, with a green, orange or blue-black body depending on the species. We will see them more in summer than in spring.because they prefer the heat because that is when they have the greatest activity.
What are the symptoms? Well, if we suspect a petunia has aphids, what we’ll do is inspect undersides of leaves, base of stems, flower buds and open flowers. It is in these places that they cause the most damage, which also weakens the plant a lot. For example, on the leaves, one can see discolored spots, the flowers could wither before their time, and the flower buds wither without opening.
The treatment to be applied can be the same as that of mealybugs, i.e. diatomaceous earth. An anti-aphid insecticide can also be applied, but following the instructions on the product packaging.
As you’ve seen, several pests make petunias sticky, but hopefully these tips will help get your plants back on their feet.