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Baby’s breath, or Gypsophila, is an important crop for specialty cut-flower farmers. Popular for their use as filler in cut-flower arrangements, baby’s breath plants have also made their way into home flower gardens. With their large, airy growth habit, it is easy to see why many growers choose baby’s breath when wishing to make a profound statement in the garden. Like any plant, however, there are many garden pests that may prevent baby’s breath plants from reaching their full potential. Read on to learn more about insects on Gypsophila plants.
Though invasive in some places, baby’s breath plants are not impervious to damage that can be done by insects in the garden. Pests of baby’s breath plants can cause both failure of bloom, as well as complete collapse of the plant if young or not yet well established.
As with any plant in the flower garden, when identifying Gypsophila plant pests, it is imperative that growers are able to distinguish between beneficial and nuisance insects. You should begin looking for insects on Gypsophila before the plants begin to show signs of damage. This can be done by inspecting the plants on a weekly basis.
Baby’s breath is a beautiful filler flower loved for its tiny white blooms that can be added to floral arrangements or planted in the garden. However, these delicate plants can easily fall victim to grasshoppers that chew on the foliage and flowers. If you’ve noticed grasshoppers munching away on your baby’s breath, there are several effective control methods you can try to protect your plants.
Inspect Plants and Identify Grasshoppers
The first step is to take a close look at your baby’s breath plants to confirm grasshoppers are indeed the culprits. Look for ragged holes in leaves and flowers as well as green, brown, or gold insects up to 2 inches long on the plants. Grasshoppers have long hind legs for jumping and wings for flying short distances. If grasshoppers are present, it’s important to take action before they destroy your plants.
Remove Grasshoppers by Hand
For light infestations, hand removal is the simplest solution. Check plants in the morning or evening when grasshoppers are more sluggish. Knock or shake them off plants into a bucket of soapy water to kill them. Be sure to check under leaves and flowers where they often hide.
Attract Natural Predators
Encourage natural predators like birds, frogs, spiders, praying mantises, and beneficial insects by providing habitat and food sources Place birdbaths, birdhouses, and native plants that produce seeds and berries to attract birds. Have a small pond for frogs and mantises Allow native flowering plants like asters and sunflowers to grow to harbor predatory insects. The predators will help keep grasshopper numbers down.
Apply Insecticidal Soap
Insecticidal soap sprayed directly on grasshoppers will kill them on contact. It also repels and reduces feeding. Mix according to label directions and thoroughly coat leaf undersides, flowers, and stems. Repeat applications will be needed after rain or new hatches. Insecticidal soap won’t harm most beneficial insects.
Use Neem Oil Spray
Neem oil repels and kills young grasshoppers when sprayed on plants. It makes foliage taste bitter. Mix 1 ounce neem oil, 1/8 teaspoon dish soap, and 1 gallon water. Shake well and strain into a spray bottle. Spray baby’s breath plants, especially new growth which is most vulnerable. Reapply after rain.
Apply Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth (DE) is a natural powder that kills grasshoppers through dehydration when they ingest it. Sprinkle food-grade DE on and around plants. Reapply after rain or watering. Wear a mask to avoid breathing in the dust. DE is non-toxic to people and pets but kills beneficial insects too. Use judiciously.
Install Row Covers
Row covers act as a physical barrier to keep grasshoppers away from plants Cover seedlings or small plants with fabric row covers anchored firmly to the ground, Ensure proper ventilation and remove covers when plants start to flower and require pollination, This is a preventative solution that keeps new grasshoppers out,
Trap Grasshoppers
Sink shallow containers of soapy water into the soil near plants. Grasshoppers are attracted to the containers and will jump in and drown. Or place sticky traps around the garden to catch grasshoppers before they reach plants. Trapping won’t eliminate all grasshoppers but helps reduce populations.
Time Plantings Carefully
Avoid planting baby’s breath during peak grasshopper season of late summer and fall. Instead, plant in spring so plants are larger and more established before grasshopper populations boom. Mature plants are less vulnerable than new seedlings. Cover or protect new plantings if added midsummer.
By taking a multi-pronged approach using exclusion, traps, natural predators, and organic sprays, you can protect your baby’s breath from grasshopper damage. Consistent monitoring and early intervention are key to keeping these hungry hoppers away from your flowers. With proper control methods, you can enjoy gorgeous, grasshopper-free baby’s breath all season long.
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Leafhoppers on Baby’s Breath Plants
While there are quite a few bugs that eat baby’s breath, one of the most common and more serious are leafhoppers. Adult leafhoopers are small green-yellow bugs with black spots, while leafhopper nymphs are smaller and appear lighter in color.
These Gypsophila plant pests are a common pest to other flowers in the garden too, such as asters. In fact, these leafhoppers are responsible for the spread of an infection called aster yellows. Aster yellows is a disease that can cause the yellowing and loss of the baby’s breath plants.
Damage from leafhoppers and other baby’s breath pests may first present as small yellow or white spots on the foliage of the plant. Eventually, the damaged leaves will fall from the plant.
While the presence of leafhoppers may not be able to be prevented, gardeners can take measures to help avoid infestation.
How to Manage Grasshoppers in Your Garden
FAQ
What can I spray on my plants to keep grasshoppers away?
How do you kill a grasshopper infestation?
Is there a natural way to get rid of grasshoppers?
What do grasshoppers hate the most?
How do you get rid of grasshoppers in a vegetable garden?
Knock the grasshoppers off the plants and into a bucket of soapy water, where they’ll drown. You can also spray the solution directly on the pests. For the recipe, mix 4 tablespoons of liquid soap with a gallon of water. Dawn dish soap can work; however, use organic soaps for organic vegetable gardens.
Can you kill grasshoppers naturally?
Thankfully, there are effective ways to kill grasshoppers in your garden naturally. Grasshoppers are a group of plant-eating insects in the suborder Caelifera. There are around 600 species of grasshoppers in the U.S. and 30 that cause significant damage to crops and plants.
Are grasshoppers destroying your garden?
An outbreak (when swarms of insects hatch and begin feeding simultaneously) can devastate a small garden in just a few hours. Huge appetites, combined with the ability to jump or fly from plant to plant easily, make grasshoppers one of the most destructive garden pests.
How do I stop Grasshoppers from becoming pests?
Preventing, controlling, and eradicating grasshoppers requires a multi-method approach. To stop grasshoppers from becoming pests, it’s essential to understand their life cycle. However, you should also know how to avoid attracting them to your backyard. Then it’s vital to use natural pest-control methods to kill the grasshopper pests.