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My bete noir - Busy Lizzie ( Impatiens)

InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
in Plants
In late June and early this month they were covered in flower. Suddenly they have stopped. I noticed the leaves were rolling up at the tips. Not powdery mildew. Anyone else had this? The hybrids are the worst. The natural species, Impatiens walleriana, seems more resistant.
Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.

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  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
    I spoke to an agronomist about this and she said, the most likely culprit was spider mites, too small to be seen with the naked eye, which introduce a virus, which took a while to become active (!). She suggested washing all bought plants with soapy water, especially on the underside of the leaves, from a strong spray. 
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    You can see spider mites with some sort of magnifying glass.
    Look on the underside of the leaves close to the leaf veins.
    They're almost transparent, but you should be able to see them if they are the cause.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
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