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Protecting Poinsettias with Enstar® AQ

Warm moist conditions are ideal for insects to build up outside the greenhouse. When they start entering your greenhouse and attacking your plant material it's time to act. Greenhouse plants are most commonly infested by fungus gnats, shore flies, spider mites, thrips, and whiteflies. Protecting poinsettias and other greenhouse plants from these pests requires a delicate balance of attention and efficiency. When searching for the appropriate product, residual control is key.

Enstar® AQ, a Long-Term Solution:

Residual control of pests that plague poinsettias and other greenhouse plants requires an insect growth regulator. Enstar® AQ Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) is a water-based formulation that prevents target insects from maturing into adults. Once the adult insects come into contact with the active ingredient, S-Kinoprene, they lay sterile eggs, impeding future generations of greenhouse pests.

What makes the Enstar® AQ formulation so effective for greenhouse insect control is that it provides growers an effective IGR that delivers the desired result of eradicating insects while being gentle on greenhouse plants and beneficials, including poinsettias.

Enstar® AQ has been tested successfully on many varieties of bracking poinsettia and other greenhouse plant species with low or no signs of phytotoxicity, making it a proven and efficient solution.

Because growing and cultural practices vary, any time a new product is introduced into the delicate ecosystem of a greenhouse, it is advisable to test on a small sample prior to treating an entire crop. This allows growers to observe for potential crop injury.

Check out some frequently asked questions on Enstar® AQ application for poinsettias below:

  • How do you use Enstar® AQ? Enstar® AQ can be used alone, as a long-term residual IGR, or in conjunction with an adulticide. Adulticides will target the immediate problem, while Enstar® AQ is applied for the long game, by controlling future infestations
  • What insects does Enstar® AQ impact? Enstar® AQ targets whiteflies, thrips, aphids, soft-bodied and armored scales, mealybugs, leaf miners, glassy-winged sharpshooters, and fungus gnats. This lineup of insects makes Enstar® AQ an ideal product to use on ornamental plants in greenhouses, shade houses, lath houses, and interiorscapes (i.e. atriums).
  • How should Enstar® AQ be applied to poinsettias and other greenhouse plants? For effective pest control on poinsettias and other greenhouse plants, make sure to completely cover the foliage. Using conventional spray equipment, mix the labeled amount of Enstar® AQ product with water. Then, spray both the top and bottom of leaves, until runoff occurs.

For additional questions on how Enstar® AQ can be applied to protect poinsettias from problematic greenhouse insects, check out the Enstar® AQ product page or contact us.