Pest control pruning

Platanus and, 186 on trees, shrubs, and vines. 238 Woody plants, pruning for pest control, 432... 

Pick off or prune out any leaves or shoots that are diseased or badly infested with pests if a whole plant has succumbed, then take it out of the greenhouse and dispose of it, and check its neighbors carefully. Biological controls (see p.97) are ideal for controlling many common glasshouse pests. For more tips, see p.250. 

Leaves with tan or brown blotches or serpentine tunnels. Cause Leafminers. These tiny pale green fly larvae feed between the upper and lower leaf surfaces. Prune off and destroy infested leaves. Remove debris in fall to destroy overwintering leafminers. Let parasitic wasps control these pests, or apply weekly insecticidal soap sprays starting when the first tunnel appears. 

In general, physical control methods are more often used to control insects than to control diseases. There is a wide variety of traps and barriers that thwart many common insect pests. Physical control of disease organisms is limited to removing diseased plant parts by hand or with pruning tools. 

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