Are you seeing Whiteflies infestations on your plants?
Tips on managing whiteflies....
I've been receiving a lot of questions about whiteflies so I thought I'd share a few management tips:
Identification is key! I know I've said this before, however I've even been tricked thinking I had whiteflies when I actually had ligurian leafhoppers. After a bit of investigation, I remembered that the host plants were ones favored by the leafhopper. I set up a sticky trap to confirm, and yep, it was the ligurian leafhopper. Now I am not suggesting that you have this leafhopper, however what I am sharing is that it is difficult to identify pests and it is really important to do so because how we manage these pests are quite different.
One thing I know is that whiteflies are typically an indicator of over watering. So if you have a whitefly infestation look into how you are irrigating your plants. Make sure you are able to let the soil around the infested plants dry out a bit before watering again. If these plants are in pots, make sure that the drainage holes are not clogged, draining freely and place the pots on feet, if they aren't already, to increase drainage.
Whiteflies LOVE plants that are fed synthetic fertilizer! I recommend switching your fertilizer to a good quality organic fertilizer. If you are not sure if your fertilizer is synthetic, write down the name or take a photo of the bag and email it to me. I can happily tell you.
Cut off the most infested parts of the plant. Also prune the plant a bit in order to open it up, increasing the air circulation. This will help a lot!
Blast the backs of the leaves with a strong blast of water. This usually does the trick quite well.
Is this plant in the right location for sun exposure? Something to consider. What I also see is whiteflies on plants that would prefer a bit more sunlight then it may be receiving. Not always the case, but something to notice.
If you need to use a pesticide, then I suggest using an Insecticidal Soap(I.S.). This is a perfect control that is less toxic and very narrow spectrum, meaning that it only kills insects with soft bodies. Please make sure you don't have any beneficial insects around, such as; the ladybug larva, the lacewing larva, and the syrphid fly larva, since it can kill these soft bodies too. Follow the application rate listed on the label. Do a second, even third application according to the label. I also recommend hanging a yellow sticky trap intended for whiteflies. This is since the adults will fly away when you try to spray a pesticide, it is helpful to also have the sticky trap in place to capture some of the adults.
Monitor....check every few days to see if they are still on your plant. If so then repeat these steps again.
I hope this is helpful! Whiteflies can be a real pain.
Let me know how it goes. I'm happy to offer more support if you need it : )
In the meantime, have a super day!
Happy gardening,
~Suzanne