What's eating my pelargonium x domesticum 'carisbrooke'?

Pelargonium x domesticum 'Carisbrooke' (regal geranium) is commonly grown as a patio or greenhouse plant. Aphids are the most frequent pest, clustering on soft new shoots. Vine weevil grubs devastate container roots. Whitefly can build up quickly under glass or in sheltered spots. Caterpillars occasionally damage buds.

Clustered on new shoots and flower buds; sticky honeydew, sooty mold, and distorted growth Pinch off heavily infested tips; spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil; introduce ladybugs or lacewings outdoors

Adults notch leaf margins; grubs destroy the root ball causing sudden and complete wilting Apply nematodes to moist compost in late summer; treat container plants preventatively each year with vine weevil compost or drench

Masses of tiny white flies on leaf undersides; honeydew and sooty mold reduce photosynthesis Use yellow sticky traps; spray with insecticidal soap or pyrethrin; introduce Encarsia formosa biological control in glasshouses

Holes in flower buds and leaves; frass present; buds fail to open Check buds regularly and remove caterpillars by hand; apply Bt spray to affected plants