Keeping animal pests away from the fern and Indoor ferns
Fern plants are normally attacked by scale insects and spider mites. Aphids, Thrips , snails, slugs and leaf blotch eelworm also infest ferns and can cause serious plant damage if they are left unchecked.
Controlling pests
Mechanical means
They do not involve using any toxic substances and are very effective control methods. Mechanical control methods can be used to combat aphids, slugs and snails. Scale insects are scraped off with a knife while aphids are washed off using a light spray. Sticky yellow tags can be used to attract and trap adult Dipterd. Thus they will not lay any eggs. Mechanical control techniques however consume a lot of time and need hard work.
Biological control
This involves making use of useful insects such as lacewings, gall midges and predatory mite to attack the pests. The ichneumon flies actually lay their eggs in the larva of pests. When the eggs hatch the young ichneumon larvae slowly feeds on the pests.
Washes, teas or fermented brews
These can easily be prepared at home and are normally plant based. They are used to fight aphids, spider mites and fungal infections. Washing up liquid breaks the surface tension of water and assist the brew to stick to plant surfaces.
Chemical plant protection agents
These include insecticides and acarcides. Chemical protection agents should only be used as a last resort as they do more than just kill the pests. Usually when they enter the soil they form new compounds which have side effects. At times the pest develops a resistance to the agents.
Chemical agents must be handled with care:
Follow the usage instructions on the package and stick to the dosages recommended by the chemical manufacturer.
Wear gloves when spraying the chemicals
Spray the chemicals on a calm day. Spraying on a windy day may result in the chemicals being distributed to the other plants in the vicinity.
Store plant protection agents in their original packets
Keep away from domestic pets and children
Do not breathe in the mist or consume food while spraying the chemical agents
Do not use the agents indoors
Leaf blotch eelworm
The symptoms of a leaf blotch infestation include the fern developing dark brown-black patches on the leaves. The infested fronds should be cut off and if the infestation is serious there will be no other option left other than to destroying the whole plant.
Slugs and snails
They normally come out at night to feed and this is the perfect time to catch them. Slugs scrape off the underside of the leaves. It is difficult to recognize a slug attack because these slugs and snails that eat ferns do not live a telltale slime trail. Dishes that are filled with beer can be used to combat these pests