When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) is often the first bulb-type flower to show its blossoms in your garden in spring. The flowers look like clusters of little pearls, blue and white. They usually carry a mild fragrance. When the grape hyacinth blooming season comes to an end, you need to care for the bulbs to protect and preserve them so that they can bloom again the following year. Read on for information about Muscari care after blooming.
Armenian grape hyacinths are beautiful spring-blooming flowers that add vibrant purple, blue, pink, or white colors to any garden. However, you may notice tiny bugs congregating on the leaves and flowers of your grape hyacinth plants. These little pests can damage your plants by distorting growth, causing wilting, and ruining the aesthetic appeal of the flowers So what are the most common small bugs seen on Armenian grape hyacinths, and how can you get rid of them?
Aphids
Aphids are one of the most prevalent pests found on grape hyacinths. These tiny, soft-bodied insects come in colors like green yellow black, or brown. They feed on plant sap by inserting their needle-like mouthparts into stems and leaves. Aphids tend to cluster on the undersides of leaves and along stems.
Signs of an aphid infestation include sticky honeydew residue, yellowing or distorted leaves, and stunted plant growth. Left unchecked, aphids can spread quickly and seriously weaken grape hyacinth plants.
How to Control Aphids:
-
Blast plants with water to dislodge aphids from leaves and stems.
-
Apply neem oil, insecticidal soap, or horticultural oil sprays to suffocate aphids.
-
Introduce ladybugs and other beneficial insects that feed on aphids.
-
Remove heavily infested leaves by hand to eliminate aphid colonies.
Spider Mites
Spider mites are tiny pests that look like moving dots to the naked eye. They thrive in hot, dry conditions. These nearly microscopic bugs insert needle-like mouthparts into plant cells and suck out the contents. This results in a stippling or silvering appearance on leaves. Spider mites also create fine webbing on plants as they move around and lay eggs.
How to Control Spider Mites:
-
Hose down plants to remove mites and discourage reinfestation.
-
Apply insecticidal soap or neem oil sprays.
-
Introduce predatory mites that consume spider mites.
-
Increase humidity around plants to deter spider mites.
Thrips
Thrips are tiny, slender insects under 1/25 of an inch long. Their bodies are brown or black, and they have two pairs of fringed wings. Thrips rasp plant tissues and feed on the exuding sap. This causes silver-colored streaks and spots on leaves and petals. Thrips reproduce rapidly, so infestations can grow quickly.
How to Control Thrips:
-
Prune off badly damaged leaves and flowers.
-
Use sticky yellow traps near plants to monitor and catch thrips.
-
Apply neem oil or insecticidal soap sprays.
-
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on and around plants to deter thrips.
-
Attract beneficial predatory insects like minute pirate bugs.
Slugs and Snails
Slugs and snails leave behind telltale slime trails and irregular holes in grape hyacinth leaves. These pests feed at night, chewing through plant tissues with their file-like radula. They thrive in cool, moist conditions. Severe infestations can rapidly defoliate plants.
How to Control Slugs and Snails:
-
Hand pick active slugs and snails after dark using a flashlight.
-
Set out beer traps made from cups buried at soil level to attract and drown the pests.
-
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around the garden to deter slugs and snails.
-
Exclude pests by applying copper tape around pots and beds.
-
Attract beneficial ground beetles that prey on slugs and snails.
Earwigs
Earwigs are nocturnal insects with pinching cerci at the rear of their bodies. They feed on a wide variety of plants, chewing irregular holes in leaves, flowers, and tender stems. Look for them hiding in dark, moist areas around your garden.
How to Control Earwigs:
-
Trap earwigs in overturned flower pots stuffed with damp straw or crumpled newspaper. Dispose of them in soapy water.
-
Apply diatomaceous earth around vulnerable plants to deter earwigs.
-
Encourage natural predators like birds that eat earwigs.
-
Use pheromone traps to attract and capture groups of earwigs.
-
Spray neem oil on plants to repel earwigs.
By inspecting plants frequently, identifying pests, and taking prompt control measures, you can keep your Armenian grape hyacinths healthy and vigorous. Always opt for organic or natural control methods before turning to chemical pesticides. With proper care and pest management, you’ll be rewarded with vibrant, long-lasting grape hyacinth flowers each spring.
Post Bloom Grape Hyacinth Care
You really don’t want seeds to set on those grape hyacinth after flowering. The plant doesn’t need seeds and setting seeds depletes its energy supply. So that means grape hyacinth after flowering needs a trim. As soon as the flowers fade, trim them back with pruners or garden scissors. Remove the small flowers from the stem by running your fingers from just beneath the flower cluster to the tip of the blossom. However, leave the flower stem and do not cut it. It will provide nourishment for the bulb as long as it is green. For the same reasons, leave the foliage in place. This allows the leaves to continue to collect energy from the sun to feed the bulb for next year’s blooms. After grape hyacinth blooming season is at an end, the foliage eventually turns yellow and dies back. This happens about a month and a half after first blooming. At this point, the best post bloom grape hyacinth care requires that you clip back the stems to the ground.
What to Do with Muscari Bulbs after Flowering
You may wonder what to do with Muscari bulbs after flowering is over and the plant stems are cut back. Generally, all you have to do is apply a little manure over them in autumn, then a layer of mulch to keep the weeds down. Water them when the weather is dry. In some cases, Muscari care after blooming may include digging up the bulbs. If the plants show signs of overcrowding that limits their blooming, you can dig them up. Do this very carefully to avoid damaging any of the bulbs. Once you have the bulbs out of the ground, separate them and plant some of them in other parts of the garden.
Grape Hyacinth Care | Muscari armeniacum – SGD 361
FAQ
How to get rid of hyacinth bugs?
How do you deal with flower bugs?
What are the tiny black bugs on my grapevine?
What are the bugs on my water hyacinth?
Is Muscari armeniacum a grape hyacinth?
For a hit of intense blue in the garden in mid-spring, Muscari armeniacum can’t be beat. This small perennial bulb produces clusters of bell-shaped flowers that resemble bunches of grapes, giving rise to the common name grape hyacinth.
What do grape hyacinths look like?
“Grape hyacinths are unique little flowers. As their name suggests, they do indeed look like small clusters of grapes. It is very pleasing to see these cheerful little purple flowers early in the spring after a long, dull winter.
Why is it called a muscari Hyacinth?
The name of the genus, Muscari, comes from the Greek word for musk, referring to the scent produced by the flowers of many species in the genus. The common name comes from the resemblance of the clusters of the small, bell-shaped, cobalt-blue flowers to upside-down clusters of grapes. Grape hyacinth is hardy in zones 3-9.
What is grape hyacinth?
Grape hyacinth, or muscari, is very cute short bulb flower. Key Grape Hyacinth facts Soil: ordinary – Flowering: early spring Caring for grape hyacinth from planting to blooming is easy and its ornamental effect is guaranteed. → Also: growing common hyacinth