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Zinnias flowers are annuals that require little upkeep, but they are nevertheless vulnerable to disease and pest attacks. Whenever your zinnias aren’t growing in perfect conditions, these issues usually arise.
When cutting zinnias flowers, it’s crucial to sanitize your instruments because diseases can be transmitted through garden tools, especially if it is in a vase or bouquet arrangement.
In this article, we’ll look at the 9 common pests and diseases alongside details about how to identify them.
The Most Common Zinnia Flowers Pests And Diseases
Below are the most common zinnia flower diseases and pests and how best to identify each one of them.
1. Alternaria Blight
One of the zinnia diseases that is most frequently seen is Alternaria Blight. It appears to be a leaf spot illness but is an Alternaria zinnias fungus infection. Even seeds can become infected by the disease, which can affect several generations of zinnia plants.
Large, uneven red or purple dots on the foliage are the primary sign of Alternaria blight. Additional signs include wilted, discolored, and hole-filled leaves.
Also, you can notice unattractive sores on the stems or brown spots on the blossoms.
The recommended treatment for zinnias affected with Alternaria blight is an organic copper fungicide.
Growing zinnia types that are resistant to Alternaria blight is another way to attempt and stop outbreaks of the disease.
To reduce the danger of infection, hydrate your zinnias at the base of the stems and clear any nearby debris or leaf litter.
2. Bacterial Leaf Spot
Another disease that zinnias are prone to be bacterial leaf spot. In overly moist zinnia flowers, this disease tends to manifest itself.
In infected leaves, there are tiny purple dots with surrounding yellow rings. The disease might also affect seeds, which will affect new plants.
The recommended remedy for bacterial leaf spots is organic copper fungicides, which ought to be applied after rain.
Try watering the plants’ bases to prevent the zinnias’ leaves from becoming wet.
Furthermore, to stop the disease from spreading, get rid of any wet leaf litter that may be present.
3. Aster Yellows
Zinnias are among the plants in the Asteraceae family that are affected by aster yellows. The tiny parasites known as phytoplasma, which leafhoppers transfer while they feed on sap, are the cause of this disease.
An aster yellows-infected zinnia may have strange green growths coming out of the flower head. Stunted growth and reddening or yellowing of the foliage are further indications.
The most recommended remedy is to keep leafhoppers away from your zinnias plant.
Ensure that you make enough room for your zinnias plant to grow as it should and place them in a place where it doesn’t touch other plants as well as leaf litter.
As an alternative, you can plant yarrow or mint around your zinnias plant.
4. Aphids
Aphids are a problem that almost all gardeners have faced. Vulnerable zinnias may become infested by these little, sap-sucking insects, which are typically found when ants are cultivating them.
To get sap from their hosts, aphids disrupt the growth of leaves. Infestations with aphids can also cause black mould growth and slowed growth.
Aphids can be treated using biological methods, horticultural oils, and pesticides.
Another method is to use a well-aimed hose blast to drive them out of your zinnias.
Read Also: How to use Natural Vinegar Spray for Aphids
5. Leafhoppers
Zinnias can be harmed by leafhoppers, which are the main aster yellows carriers. These insects consume sap and can infect your zinnias with phytoplasma. So if your plant is experiencing aster yellows, just know that leafhoppers are likely to be nearby.
To get eliminate this pest, you should use insecticidal soap. To make life more difficult for leafhoppers, try weeding the soil surrounding your zinnias frequently and dispose of any leaf debris.
Also, you can use partner-in-crime plants like yarrow, mint, and garlic to drive these pests away from your zinnias.
6. Whiteflies
Another pest that you can face on your zinnias is whitefly, which normally hides beneath the leaves. These pests, which are related to aphids, feed on sap and cause the yellowing of the leaves.
Whiteflies produce sticky honeydew deposits while feeding, which can cause leaves to develop sooty black mould.
Spraying your zinnias with water will help to remove whiteflies and their larvae. Also, you can get rid of insect pests by using insecticidal soaps and horticultural oils.
7. Spider Mites
Some other common pests that could attack your zinnias are spider mites. These tiny insects thrive in hot, dry climates and eat chlorophyll.
The leaves of diseased plants often have webbing coverings. You will also notice slight brown or yellow spots which will be present on the diseased leaves.
Spider mites can be removed by applying insecticidal soap or washing them off your zinnias.
You can also adopt biological controls to introduce predatory creatures that eat spider mites.
8. Broad Mites
Little, brown, or transparent broad mites are the pests that eat the sap from zinnias. They must have warm temperatures to thrive, hence if it gets too cold, they will die.
Plants suffering from severe mite infestations may develop leaves that are deformed, discolored, or have an abnormal shape. Broad mites can be the cause of poor or stunted growth.
You can get rid of broad mites by using insecticidal soaps or horticultural oils. It can be hard to tell whether the infestation has been eliminated due to the small size of these bugs. So, try to spray all over the leaves to get rid of as many mites as possible.
9. Powdery Mildew
A fungus called powdery mildew causes growths that resemble white dust to cover affected leaves. The factors that favor this disease are dry during the day and humid at night.
Effective treatments include organic copper fungicides and horticultural oils.
Additionally, ensure that your zinnias are growing in the best conditions possible to reduce the risk of powdery mildew.
Finally, if you are a gardener that’s interested in growing zinnia flowers, you must ensure that:
A. You plant your zinnias in fertile soils with good drainage and provide them with 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight each day.
B. Water your plant at the stem’s base to keep the foliage dry once a week, and fertilizer should be applied once or twice a month to encourage healthy plants.
A soil that has been overwatered is a breeding ground for illnesses, therefore try to avoid doing so.
C. Give your plants plenty of room because zinnias can grow up to 4 feet tall. Doing so will encourage proper ventilation, which lowers the chance of disease outbreaks. After sowing the seeds, zinnia flowers normally blossom 40 to 60 days later.
D. Furthermore, weeding any debris waste around your zinnias will help keep insects and diseases from establishing a foothold.
FAQs
1. What Is The Best Pesticide For Zinnias?
Spray zinnias with insecticidal soap or neem oil to kill pests. While insecticidal soap or neem oil kills any beneficial pests that may be on the plant at the time of application, there is no residual effect.
Spray the zinnias with a strong stream. Coat the entire plant, including the undersides of the leaves.
2. How Do You Prevent Fungus On Zinnias?
You can prevent fungus on zinnias through:
A. Allow adequate spacing between plants (increased air circulation will decrease mildew and other fungal diseases).
B. Water early in the day and avoid getting water on the foliage.
C. Plant in an area with adequate sun.
D. Where infection is limited, try to prune out and discard diseased tissue as soon as it appears.
3. What Kills Fungus On Flowers?
Fungus on flowers can be killed through the use of Apple cider vinegar.
To make a fungicide out of this, take one tablespoon of vinegar and mix it with a gallon of water.
Shake this well and add it to a spray bottle. Vinegar mixture can treat most fungal infections on any plant, without causing any harm.
4. Can You Spray Fungicide On Flowers?
Once your roses wake up from dormancy and new leaflets start to form, or if your roses never fully go dormant, it’s a good idea to spray a fungicide such as Dr. Earth Final Stop Disease Control Fungicide once every 10-14 days.
5. Which Chemical Is Used To Control Fungus In Plants?
Fungicides are pesticides that kill or prevent the growth of fungi and their spores. They can be used to control fungi that damage plants, including rusts, mildews, and blights.
6. What Is The Best Fungicide Homemade?
A good place to start is a mix of mild liquid soap and water, sprayed onto houseplants. One teaspoon of soap per liter of water will do the job.
It sounds simple, but this formula will treat a lot of common houseplant pests.
All you need is just to add just a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and it becomes a great fungicide as well.
Conclusion
Zinnia flowers are straightforward to grow but also require regular pest and disease control. But if you have taken your time to go through this article, we hope that you have gotten an idea of how best to tackle each of them when encountered.
As it is always said that it’s always better to prevent disease than to cure it, so try to give your zinnias the best possible care you could to keep them healthy and vibrant.
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