Symptoms: Foliage wilted or curled, deformed buds and flowers.
Cause: Aphids appear on plants that are stressed usually by heat or water stress.
Prevention: A sharp spray of water from the hose will dislodge them or spray with insecticidal soap.
Cutworms
Symptoms: Usually attacks seedlings by cutting stems down at the soil surface. Inactive during the day.
Cause: Cutworms are the larvae stage of a commonly seen grayish-brown moth. They stay burrowed into the soil until they emerge at night to feed.
Prevention: Place cardboard or metal collars around the stem of the plants. Sprinkle moist bran mixed with BTK on the soil surface in the evening.
Beneficial nematodes are also helpful.
Powdery Mildew
Symptoms: Downy patches appear on foliage.
Cause: Fungi settle on leaves of plants that may not have proper air circulation.
Prevention: Proper air circulation is essential in preventing powdery mildew.
Flea Beetles
Symptoms: Chewed foliage
Prevention: Remove weeds. Using row covers may help. Spray with garlic or pyrethrin.
Garden Pests
The Best Practices approach, sometimes called Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an environmentally sensitive approach to dealing with garden pests. Printable pdfs can be found on each page.
