polly.walker

I have quite a few Geraniums in my garden and as with previous years I suspect that they will suffer the attentions of a small moth which seems to make holes in the stem and then the plant dies.

Can anyone tell me if there is something I can spray them with to stop this happening.

Fred James

I use Decis from Bayer. The active ingredient is deltamethrin.

Don't buy the stuff sold specifically for the moth - it's usually deltamethrin in expensive packaging.

Spray at least every 30 days until the moths go - usually around September/October.

polly.walker

Thank you Fred

mrsjdr

we use Fertiplan, "insecticida especial geranios" from our local garden centre, the owner said use once a week, it cost 6.30€ for a 500ml spray bottle

tim1963

Our local garden center sell various potions to combat the moths but when talking to one of the guys that works there I found out that they use moth balls, not the stuff they sell!

Fred James

That's exactly the point I was making about buying the "special" sprays.

That bottle is 99.5% water and you pay €6.30 for it.

Buy a bottle of proper insecticide and it will last for years.

If you only have a couple of plants then maybe the €6.30 bottle will last a year.

By the way, you are not trying to kill the moth - just the caterpillars and there are loads of insecticides that do that.

mrsjdr

Thanks Fred, will look into that when I need more !!

polly.walker

To Tim1963

Moth balls you say Just the ones you can buy in Mercadona What do they do with them? Just put them on top of the soil in the pot?

tim1963

Yes just regular mothballs. Looked to be about 2-3 in each pot just on top of the soil.

polly.walker

Thank you Tim. I'll try that.

Fred James

I very much doubt that they could have any effect. Mothballs are normally used in confined spaces such as wardrobes or boxes of clothes as it is the vapour that is released by them that kills the moths.

A mothball in a flowerpot in the garden will lose any vapour into the air.

Incidentally, the moths don't do any harm, it's the caterpillars which hatch from the eggs the moth lays in the flowers and they burrow into the plant stems which is where the damage occurs.

You don't spray to kill the moths it's the caterpillars that you must destroy.