Pest identification
What's eating my sandpaper verbena?
Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae)
Signs: Bronze and yellow leaf mottling; fine webbing on undersides; foliage looks dusty and scorched in summer heat
Control: Spray leaf undersides with neem oil or miticide; maintain moisture at roots; avoid overhead irrigation; remove badly affected foliage
Aphids (various species)
Signs: Soft shoot tips and flower stems colonised; honeydew and sooty mould; distorted buds
Control: Water blast; insecticidal soap or neem oil; encourage natural predators; pinch out heavily affected tips
Thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis)
Signs: Silver streaking and speckling on petals and leaves; flowers appear bleached; tiny dark frass spots
Control: Remove damaged flowers; spinosad spray; blue sticky traps near plants for monitoring
Whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum)
Signs: White insect clouds on disturbing plant; honeydew and sooty mould; leaf yellowing
Control: Yellow sticky traps; insecticidal soap spray; remove heavily infested leaves; Encarsia formosa in greenhouse settings
Keep sandpaper verbena pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Sandpaper verbena pests — FAQ
What is eating my sandpaper verbena?
Verbena rigida, a tough perennial verbena with rough leaves, shares the family's susceptibility to spider mites and aphids. Its rougher texture offers some resistance to slugs and browsing. Thrips can mark the flowers. Whitefly appears in sheltered gardens. Spider mites remain the most damaging pest, especially in dry summers.
How do I get rid of two-spotted spider mite (tetranychus urticae) on sandpaper verbena?
Bronze and yellow leaf mottling; fine webbing on undersides; foliage looks dusty and scorched in summer heat Spray leaf undersides with neem oil or miticide; maintain moisture at roots; avoid overhead irrigation; remove badly affected foliage
How do I get rid of aphids (various species) on sandpaper verbena?
Soft shoot tips and flower stems colonised; honeydew and sooty mould; distorted buds Water blast; insecticidal soap or neem oil; encourage natural predators; pinch out heavily affected tips
How do I get rid of thrips (frankliniella occidentalis) on sandpaper verbena?
Silver streaking and speckling on petals and leaves; flowers appear bleached; tiny dark frass spots Remove damaged flowers; spinosad spray; blue sticky traps near plants for monitoring
How do I get rid of whitefly (trialeurodes vaporariorum) on sandpaper verbena?
White insect clouds on disturbing plant; honeydew and sooty mould; leaf yellowing Yellow sticky traps; insecticidal soap spray; remove heavily infested leaves; Encarsia formosa in greenhouse settings