April 2025 - Cleaning Up Flowering Tropicals
Apr 01, 2026
How to Manage Hitchhiking Pests on Flowering Tropicals:
Flowering tropicals like hibiscus, mandevilla, and gardenia are some of the most eye-catching plants in any garden center, but they can also bring hidden pest problems with them. In the April edition of Koppert Corner, published through GrowerTalks, we focused on how these hitchhiking pests arrive and how to manage them effectively in a retail setting.
Unlike production environments, retail spaces come with limitations. Plants are already on display, customers are present throughout the day, and many traditional chemical options are either impractical or restricted. This makes early intervention and non-chemical strategies especially important.
One of the key points we highlighted is that pests often arrive unnoticed on incoming shipments. They can be present on leaves, stems, flowers, and even in the root zone. If left unaddressed, they can quickly spread and turn healthy, sellable plants into a problem before peak sales periods.
Why Prevention Matters Most:
In this month’s Koppert Corner, we emphasized that the best time to deal with these pests is before plants ever reach the retail floor.
Taking time to isolate and treat incoming tropicals can significantly reduce the chance of problems later. A short, structured treatment period, using compatible biological and non-chemical solutions, can clean up pests early and prevent them from spreading throughout the space.
Once plants are placed in a retail environment, options become more limited, so starting clean is one of the most effective strategies.
Building an Effective Control Approach:
Managing hitchhiking pests requires targeting both the plant and the root zone.
In our recommendations, we outlined a combined approach using biological tools. Soil-applied solutions, such as beneficial nematodes, help control pests developing below the surface. At the same time, foliar applications using compatible biological products can target insects on leaves and stems.
This combination allows multiple life stages to be addressed at once, which is critical for keeping pest populations under control.
For ongoing maintenance in retail environments, solutions with minimal or no re-entry restrictions can be applied more frequently without disrupting daily operations. This makes it possible to continue managing pests even while plants are on display.
What This Means for You:
For smaller growers or retailers, the takeaway is simple. Do not assume new plants are clean.
Even healthy-looking tropicals can carry pests that are not immediately visible. Taking a proactive approach, treating plants early and monitoring them closely, helps prevent problems from developing at the worst possible time.
Once pests are established, they become much harder to manage, especially in customer-facing environments where treatment options are more limited.
The Bottom Line:
The insights shared in Koppert Corner reinforce that managing pests on flowering tropicals is all about timing and approach. By focusing on early treatment, using compatible biological tools, and maintaining control over time, plants can stay healthy, attractive, and ready for sale.
This article is based on the Koppert Corner published in GrowerTalks and adapted for NaturalEnemies.com. To check out the original article, click here: Holding Crops; Hitchhiking Pests; Parvispinus Update
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Preparing Perennials for Winter - October 2025
Just a dip won't do - November 2025
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