The way their petals overlap creates a beautiful sight for the viewers. They cannot tolerate heat, so they are grown in mostly cool areas. Their watering routine is a little tricky. You'll have to water them according to their behavior. They need regular maintenance and trimming. You'll have to know what eats pansy flowers for their proper care. This article will tell you all about it.
What's Eating Your Pansies?
Pansy is a trouble-free plant but is the favorite of many other living things, such as animals, insects, and other pests. You'll have to protect your pansies from them.
Aphids
Aphids are tiny pests that feed on the sap of the pansies. They make small holes in the leaves of the plant. You can easily identify them by their waste, known as the honeydew on leaves. This liquid attracts the ants. That's the main reason for fungi production around the plant. They hide in the curled-up leaves.
How To Stop Them?
Ladybugs
They make the aphids go away. Ladybirds may look kind and pretty, but aphids are afraid of them.
Lacewings
These predators feed on the aphids, which makes them go away. You'll see a significant reduction in the population of aphids after installing lacewings-friendly plants in your garden.
Zoe Harvey
Insecticides
Several insecticides remove aphids, e.g., permethrin, acephate, insecticidal soap, etc.
Pruning
You can prune the damaged branches to reduce the aphids' population.
Water Pressure
Aphids don't have a firm grip on leaves. They hide under the leaves. So throw water with enough pressure to dislodge them.
Rubbing Alcohol
It's one of the most effective methods used to reduce aphids. Use a cotton pad to apply the rubbing alcohol on the leaves. It will make them go away.
Neem Oil
You can apply neem oil on the leaves to get rid of aphids. You can also use a spray bottle for that. It'll make the work easy.
Spider Mites
These pests look exactly like spiders. They create a web around the plant's leaves and feed on it. Due to their small size, it becomes tough to see and catch them. They attack the plant by making tiny holes in the leaves. Eventually, the leaves start to fade and become yellow. They take a lot of time to kill the plant entirely, but it's important to identify them as soon as possible so that you can save your plant.
Zoe Harvey
How To Stop Them?
Insecticides
You can spray chemicals on the plant to prevent them from harmful pests. Bifenthrin is mostly used for spider mites.
Pruning
It will help a lot if it's their initial stage. Prune the affected branches.
Neem oil
Just like aphids, they also don't like neem oil's taste. It'll make them go away. But you'll have to spray it daily.
Snails/Slugs
They attack the leaves as well as the flowers. They are very harmful to pansies. Due to their intolerance to heat, they attack at night. They are great at hiding in the daytime. You'll identify them easily if you see holes and a shiny liquid on the leaves of a pansy plant.
How To Stop Them?
Reduce Moisture
Snails love moist areas, and they hide in wet places. If you reduce the moisture, snails will disappear because they can't survive in dry areas. It's good to put the pansies' pots under sunlight to eliminate slugs.
Coffee, Yeast, And Beer
You can use beer and yeast traps to catch as many snails as possible. You can use coffee traps to get rid of them. Snails don't like bitter tastes, so they'll go away.
Diatomaceous Earth
Sprinkle some of it around your plants. It will cause skin irritation to them and make them go away. Snails are more active after rain or during the night, so it's the best time to follow this method.
Copper
Use copper strips to stop slugs from attacking your pansy plant. Snails don't like copper.
Zoe Harvey
Cutworms Caterpillars
These loopers can be seen easily on the plant's leaves due to their prominent color and slow speed. They usually have stripes on their bodies. Cutworms are considered to be lovers of pansies. They are often called pansy worms because of this affection. This love can affect your pansies' growth badly.
How To Stop Them?
Hand-Picking
Wear safety gloves and get started. It's a time taking procedure but is very effective. Throw the hand-picked caterpillars into the soapy water bucket and get rid of them.
Bacillus Thuringiensis
If you doubt that your pansies are getting attacked by caterpillars, spray them on the plant. It's very effective.
Mealybugs
Don't judge them by their small size. They can do a lot of damage to your pansy. They have a protective layer, so they don't get affected by insecticides easily. They keep feeding the plant underneath the leaves. They are hard to be seen due to their tiny bodies.
How To Stop Them?
Sticky Traps
Yellow sticky cards are easily available in the market to catch pests and flies. You can hang them on your pansy plant and let it do its magic.
Rubbing Alcohol
Applying it on the leaves might give you a good result.
Neem Oil
It's no one's favorite, so you can benefit from it by spraying it on the plant.
Insecticides
It should be your last resort. If nothing's working, you can try spraying insecticides. But you'll need a strong one for them.
Flea Beetles
They are small and black. Leaves are their favorite part of the pansies. They do their job and fly away. They are fast and can destroy all your pansy plants before you know it.
How To Stop Them?
Insecticides
The only way to eliminate flea beetles is to use a strong insecticide. Let's not make them ruin your pansies.
Deer
Deers could be destructive if they entered your garden. A hungry deer is going to eat all of your precious flowers. They are large, which adds to the damage a lot.
How To Stop Them?
Fencing
You'll need sturdy boundaries around your garden to protect it from deer. That's the only way to stop them from entering and destroying your beautiful garden. Use metal fencing for better results.
Complaint
It would be best if you complained about this situation to the local authorities. They'll take care of it.
Rats
They are one of the most stubborn pests. They keep coming back.
How To Stop Them?
Traps
There are many mice traps available in the market. You can use anyone you find the most suitable.
Boundaries
Make firm boundaries around your garden. It'll stop the rats from entering and eating your pansies.
Squirrels/Chipmunks
They eat as well as destroy the pansy. Thanks to their big size, they can easily get caught.
How To Stop Them?
Cayenne Pepper
Squirrels don't like its taste, so you can spray some of it on the plant's leaves to make them go away.
Fence
Use a wooden or iron fence around your garden to save the plants from squirrels.
Rabbits
Rabbits can be your plants' real enemies if they love the taste and odor. They attack the blossoms and spare the leaves.
How To Stop Them?
Strong Fence
You cannot stop rabbits without a firm boundary. They find a way to enter the garden, so you'll have to be smart while choosing the fence.
Birds
Some birds, especially crows, love to feed on pansies. But it's easy to protect your plants from birds.
How To Stop Them?
Bird Feeders
Place the bird feeders away from your garden. It'll divert the attention of birds.
Net
Cover your blossoms with a plant net to protect them from birds.
Thrips
These pests are very tiny and hard to see. But they can kill the plant quickly.
How To Stop Them?
Neem Oil/Eco Oil
You can apply both of these oils on the leaves of your pansies to get rid of thrips.
Detergent Mix
Take warm water, add some good quality dish detergent, and make a mixture. Please put it in a spray bottle and apply it to the plant. Do it regularly until the thrips are gone completely.
Final Thoughts
Many animals, pests, and birds are ready to attack your pansies. Some like to eat it whole; some prefer blooms, and some love chewing the leaves. No matter their way of eating, the plant's growth gets affected badly. So make sure to protect your plant yourself. Maintaining pansies is not difficult since it's one of the most tolerable plants. Nothing is easy when doing it first, so don't worry. We hope you have figured out the best way to protect your pansies. Don't forget to share your experience with us.
