Insect Damage From Irish Moss Diseases

Diseases

• Maintaining a healthy plant prevents some diseases from infecting Irish moss. When Irish moss grows in areas without proper drainage, fungal diseases develop on the plant. Fungal diseases weaken Irish moss, leaving the plant susceptible to damage from insects. Phytophthora is a genus of soil-borne pathogens that result in several crown and root-rot diseases. Crown rot is a deadly type of fugal disease that affects the stems and roots of Irish moss, eventually leading to the death of the plant.

Pests

• Several species of pests use Irish moss as a food source, including aphids, slugs and snails. Aphids are winged, soft-bodied insects that come in a range of colors from green, white, black or brown, depending on the species. These tiny pests use their mouthparts to pierce the leaves on plants to ingest the sap from the plant. Slugs and snails eat decaying matter; therefore, if a fungal disease infects Irish moss, these pests will attack the plant. These chewing insects are hermaphrodite mollusks; the only difference between the two is that snails have an external shell.

Signs and Damage

• When aphids are present on a plant, they leave behind honeydew-like substance. This sticky residue often forms a sooty black mold. Aphids cause leaves to turn yellow, curl and be malformed; severe infestations affect a plant’s ability to produce new growth. If Irish moss has signs of irregular chew marks along its leaves, check for slugs and snails. Tracking slugs and snails is an easy process, because they leave a silver-colored, slimy trail. Slugs and snails come out during the night, so early morning is the prime time to catch them.

Control

• Controlling aphids through nonchemical methods by introducing natural enemies like ladybugs or parasitic wasps helps eliminate these pests. Using a strong jet of water to wash away aphids is another way to remove aphids from Irish moss. If a large infestation occurs, consider applying insecticidal soaps as a means of killing the aphids. Removing snails and slugs from Irish moss by hand is an effective solution to ridding the plant of these pests. Leaving out traps like melon rinds or cans filled with sugar water attracts slugs and snails away from the plant.