Pests and diseases of violet crops
The main pests and diseases that affect the cultivation of violets are:
Photo of pansy
- Violet leaf midge (Dasineura affinis): It affects the leaves that do not manage to develop. You have to remove the affected leaves and spray the plant with a specific insecticide in late spring.
- Aphids and mealybugs: They develop especially at high temperatures. They need a specific treatment.
- Snails: Produce holes in the leaves. You can use some specific chemical or ecological traps such as put leaves of boiled lettuce to go to eat. When they are on it they can be caught. Another possibility is to surround the plants with some barrier so that the snails do not get close.
- Cavity Spot disease: It is caused by microscopic fungi (Phytium violae) that attack the stems, causing the yellowing of the plant and the fall of the petals. There is an infection of the soil that forces to plant the violets in another soil. It is convenient to remove the affected specimens, burn them and dig the earth to remove the affected roots. Other violets should not be planted in this field.
- Red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae): They are insects half a millimeter in length that produce degeneration of the buds on which they produce a kind of cottony cover that can equally affect the leaves or flowers when the infection is very important. They develop with very high temperatures. Requires a specific insecticide.
- Powdery mildew (Oidium spp): They are fungi that produce white spots on the leaves or buds. It requires that the affected leaves be quickly eliminated and a specific fungicidal treatment. It affects the thoughts a lot, especially when they do not receive adequate light.
- Gray mold : It is produced by the fungus Botrytis cinerea. It produces flowers with brown papyraceous spots that can sometimes affect the leaves. It is produced mainly by a lack of aeration and an excess of humidity between the plants as a result of having them too close together and spraying the leaves and flowers with water. The treatment must be done by removing the affected material and applying a general fungicide. Avoid spraying flowers when watering.
- Rusts: It is another disease caused by fungi Puccinia spp. It produces brown or reddish spots on the leaves. It occurs when the ambient temperature is very high. Its treatment includes the removal of the affected leaves.
- Ferric chlorosis or Iron chlorosis: It is a disease caused by the inability of the plant to absorb iron from the substrate, which results in the leaves becoming yellow due to the lack of chlorophyll. It occurs mainly in limestone soil or with a high ph. It requires iron chelates to the ground. The incorporation of organic matter and the digging of the earth will allow the plant to be more capable of absorbing iron.
More information on violets
This article was endorsed by Julián Masats - Technical agricultural engineer specialized in horticulture and gardening.
