It would be nice if we nice if we didn't have to talk about hibiscus pests, but most people who grow hibiscus will some day be faced with the need to control damaging insects. At HVH, we have tried just about everything available, both in the greenhouse and at home, to deal with insects safely and effectively. Below are the best products we have found to keep your hibiscus free of insects and blooming beautifully.
Harmful insects come in two types: those that damage the leaves and sap the strength of the plants, and those that
harm the flowers and buds. The plant and leaf damaging insects include spider mites, whiteflies, aphids. Fortunately, we now have products that help with all of these: Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 and Bayer Tree & Shrub. Insects that cause bud drop or damage flowers, thrips and gall midges, require two of our products listed below, used on a rotation basis - Ortho Systemic Insect Killer and Green Light Spinosad. Scroll down to view or purchase these products:
BAYER ADVANCED 3-IN-1 SPRAY
Best Control for: SPIDER MITES
Also Controls: Whiteflies, Aphids, & Fungus
Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 Spray |
Of all the pests that attack hibiscus, spider mites can be the most damaging and hardest to control. If left untreated, hibiscus react to spider mite infestations by dropping all their leaves. This gets rid of the mites but is very stressful to the hibiscus and ruins their appearance until the new leaves grow back. Until recently there has not been a good treatment available to gardeners. Soap and oil products, such as the
HVH Clean Leaf, did the job but take perseverance and multiple treatments. Now Bayer has released a product that contains a true miticide (mites are spiders, not insects, and require a special pesticide) along with the excellent systemic insecticide imidacloprid and even a fungicide. All 3 active ingredients are included in this new product that they call simply
Bayer Advanced 3-in-1. If you have ever fought spider mites or watched a hibiscus defoliate, this is probably the best product available to get control of the situation. As a bonus, the systemic insecticide in the 3-in-1 will control aphids, whiteflies, and many other insects. The fungicide in the 3-in-1 should help with fungus diseases that attack hibiscus, particularly in the cool, wet months of winter.
One of our High Voltage plants in a 6 inch pot had a bad case of mites with leaves turning yellow and falling off, so we obtained a bottle of this new product in order to test its effectiveness. That was our test plant for the 3-in-1 product, and the result was very good. We only treated the High Voltage once, and a week later we could not find any mites and no more leaves had turned yellow. Now, four weeks later, there are still no signs of spider mites and no more yellow leaves.
Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 Concentrate |
Since
Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 is new and not yet in many stores (and very hard for us to find!), we decided to offer it direct from our website. This product contains 3 active ingredients that work against insects, mites, and fungus diseases. It is available in a ready-to-spray bottle that requires no mixing and as a concentrate that makes 12 gallons of spray (or refills the spray bottle 48 times when mixed with water).
Order Bayer Advanced 3-in-1: