Pest identification
What's eating my nicotiana × sanderae 'starmaker lime'?
Aphids
Signs: Dense colonies on stem nodes and buds; distorted new growth and sticky honeydew.
Control: Insecticidal soap or neem oil spray; encourage ladybirds and parasitic wasps; remove worst-affected shoot tips.
Thrips
Signs: Silvery streaking on the distinctive lime-green petals; deformed flowers — damage highly visible on this cultivar.
Control: Blue sticky monitoring traps; spinosad or insecticidal soap spray to blooms; remove affected flowers.
Whitefly
Signs: Clouds of white insects on leaf undersides; honeydew leads to sooty mould disfiguring the ornamental foliage.
Control: Yellow sticky traps; insecticidal soap spray to leaf undersides; remove heavily infested lower leaves.
Tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta)
Signs: Rapid, large-scale defoliation; big green caterpillars with diagonal white stripes.
Control: Handpick daily; Bt spray applied to foliage; presence of parasitic wasp cocoons on caterpillar means leave it — wasps will kill it.
Keep nicotiana × sanderae 'starmaker lime' pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Nicotiana × sanderae 'Starmaker Lime' pests — FAQ
What is eating my nicotiana × sanderae 'starmaker lime'?
Nicotiana × sanderae 'Starmaker Lime' has sticky leaves that trap some small insects but aphids still cluster freely on stems and buds. Thrips damage the lime-green flowers with silvery scarring. Whitefly builds up in warm gardens. Tobacco hornworm caterpillars can rapidly strip plants. Slugs target the soft seedling stage.
How do I get rid of aphids on nicotiana × sanderae 'starmaker lime'?
Dense colonies on stem nodes and buds; distorted new growth and sticky honeydew. Insecticidal soap or neem oil spray; encourage ladybirds and parasitic wasps; remove worst-affected shoot tips.
How do I get rid of thrips on nicotiana × sanderae 'starmaker lime'?
Silvery streaking on the distinctive lime-green petals; deformed flowers — damage highly visible on this cultivar. Blue sticky monitoring traps; spinosad or insecticidal soap spray to blooms; remove affected flowers.
How do I get rid of whitefly on nicotiana × sanderae 'starmaker lime'?
Clouds of white insects on leaf undersides; honeydew leads to sooty mould disfiguring the ornamental foliage. Yellow sticky traps; insecticidal soap spray to leaf undersides; remove heavily infested lower leaves.
How do I get rid of tobacco hornworm (manduca sexta) on nicotiana × sanderae 'starmaker lime'?
Rapid, large-scale defoliation; big green caterpillars with diagonal white stripes. Handpick daily; Bt spray applied to foliage; presence of parasitic wasp cocoons on caterpillar means leave it — wasps will kill it.