At this busy time of year, growers and retailers are focusing on selling as much product as possible. However, occasionally pests and disease issues still occur. Often, if the problem is only occurring on a few isolated plants, tossing the plants may be the easiest option. For some pests, such as isolated outbreaks of aphids, retailers often just place the plants outside and hose of the aphids with a forceful jet of water.
If treatments are needed, spot treatments may be best for isolated outbreaks. With plants in bloom, it is critical to select the safest product (s) to open blooms that will also not leave a residue. Dr. Smitley, Entomologist from Michigan State University, suggests the following as some good choices for “out the door treatments” for insects on bedding plants. Keep in mind that it is often very difficult to completely eliminate thrips and that they are not generally considered to be garden pests.
Thrips, Aphids and Whiteflies: Avid, Marathon II, Safari, Sanmite, Tristar, Flagship, Talstar
Mites: Avid, Floramite, Hexygon, Sanmite
For more: Out the Door Treatments for Insects on Bedding Plants http://ipmnews.msu.edu/greenhouse/greenhouse/tabid/99/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2516/Outthedoor-treatments-for-insects-on-bedding-plants.aspx
Botrytis Blight – may be occurring on dense canopies of susceptible crops such as geranium, petunia, bacopa, fuchsia and many others. Again, it is important to select fungicides that will not leave a residue. More growers are rotating biological fungicides into their spray programs. Cease, Bacillus subtilis, is a preventative biological fungicide that growers tell me does not leave a residue. But, as with any biological, it needs to be used preventively.
Often, before a period of cloudy, rainy weather favorable for Botrytis blight, growers will use fenhexamid (Decree) which is a non-systemic fungicide with both protective and curative activity. Often, if one sees a lot a Botrytis sporulation, it is best to heat and vent first to reduce the favorable conditions promoting the disease. Botrytis spores are easily moved throughout a greenhouse by air currents and water splash.
For More: Botrytis blight of Greenhouse Crops
http://www.umass.edu/umext/floriculture/fact_sheets/pest_management/botrytis.html
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