Insects, Diseases and Greenhouse Safety

INSECTS, DISEASES AND GREENHOUSE

SAFETY

Floral Careers Plant Propagation

Major Insect Pests in the Greenhouse

Aphids Thrips Whiteflies Mealybugs Spider Mites

Aphids

Immature & Adult Greenhouse Thrips

Greenhouse Whiteflies

Mealybug excreting honeydew

Two-spotted Spider Mite

Red Spider Mite

Insect & Disease Scouting

Also called “monitoring’. Perform weekly. Use sticky cards for insects

Yellow: attracts most flying insectsBlue: for thrips

Look for disease symptoms.

Controlling Insects and Diseases

Sanitation The goal of sanitation is to eliminate all

possible sources of the pest.weed removal.quarantine infested plants.medium pasteurization (especially if it

contains soil).algae control-fungus gnats.

Watering Too much moisture:

leaf diseasesroot rotsfungus gnatsalgae

Too little moisture:stresses the plants and predisposes it to

diseasehot, dry conditions favor spider mites

Variety Selection Choose insect/disease resistant

varieties.

Greenhouse Safety

Pesticide Labels Caution: slightly toxic Warning: moderately toxic (a

teaspoonful to one ounce could kill an average size adult).

Danger/Poison: highly toxic (one teaspoonful could kill an average size adult).

Restricted Entry Interval (REI) Posted on greenhouse door. The time immediately following pesticide

application when entry is restricted. For example REI 12 hours.

Pesticide Storage Pesticides must be stored in a separate,

ventilated room.

General Safety Concerns No smoking. Keep hoses off the floor. Watch out for wet floors that may be

slippery. Wash your hands after handling plants. Don’t drink the water!

End