The most careful care will be in vain if sage is attacked by pests. If lice and their ilk arrive in droves, there is an immediate need for action. Find out here how you can fight the evildoers with natural remedies.
How can you combat sage pests naturally?
To naturally combat sage pests such as cicadas and spider mites, you can use yellow tablets or Neem Azal T/S, use rock dust, apply potash soap and install close-meshed insect nets to protect the plants.
Identify and eliminate cicadas on sage - this is how it works
Cicadas are considered the biggest plague on sage. With their sucking activity, they cause more damage to the herb plant than the omnipresent aphids. Since the pests also transmit diseases with their proboscis, consistent control is essential. You can recognize an infestation by these symptoms:
- Bright suction spots can be seen on the leaves
- In warm weather, the cicadas flutter and jump around on the sage
- As it progresses, the leaves turn brown and fall off
In the early stages, the beasts can be caught with a landing net or sticky yellow boards. The preparation Neem Azal T/S (€28.00 at Amazon) has achieved good success in biological control.
Effectively prevent cicadas
So that your sage doesn't get into trouble in the first place, you can prevent infestation as soon as you start planting. Protect the herb plant with a close-meshed insect net. If cicadas have already appeared in the garden in previous years, a location should be chosen as far away as possible. Powdering with rock dust in spring and autumn also keeps the parasites at bay.
Counteract spider mites with natural remedies
If the summer is dry and warm, spider mites attack the velvety sage leaves. The tiny pests themselves can only be seen with the naked eye late. So keep an eye out for the delicate webs in the leaf axils. With these home remedies you can take sustainable action against the brood:
- Dissolve 15 ml of potassium soap in 500 ml of water and spray on the affected leaves
- The sage leaves should remain moistened with it for at least 15 minutes
