Want to keep your houseplants healthy ? Check frequently for problem insect and lave them away with a soap and water tub . If you have n’t done so yet this season , check your houseplants for unwished-for plague . Those that summertime outdoors will require extra care , but even those that appease inside can harbor insect .
launder the great deal and foliage with mild , soapy water . Use a meek soap such as Ivory , not a detergent . If you suspect a severe insect infestation , you’re able to use an insecticidal soap such as Safer ’s or another similar mathematical product .
To dampen pocket-sized plants , wrap a cloth around the stem and over the edges of the commode to hold the soil in place . Then change state the plenty over and dunk the plant in mild , soapy piss . rinsing in exonerated , halfhearted water .
Repotting in unclouded soil often will physically get rid of insects that otherwise would travel indoors with your works . If you do n’t wish to repot them , allow the filth dry out completely before tearing . humidness have sex insect will either die or find a new home plate .
Remove discolor or die foliage and stems , and you ’ll absent a possible hiding situation for dirt ball .
In this article
Identifying Specific Pests
#1. Aphids
droop plant tips are a preindication of aphid . reckon for clustering of these midget , green or opprobrious insects near the voiced , growing parts of the plants .
Aphids multiply rapidly , and for much of the year yield live youthful without entangle . you’re able to watch the birth with a hand - held magnifying glass before you lave the aphid off .
#2. Mealybugs
Look for bud drop and foliage price . Mealybugs have soft , oval bodies and produce cottony bagatelle over themselves . seem for them on the underside of leaves in leaf axil .
Read also : Get rid of mealy bug on succulents
#3. Mites
Look for okay entanglement and mottling on plant leaf . Mites themselves are passing tiny , the size of it of debris specks . They also spread out easily , traveling on hand and clothing or in puffs of air .
#4. Scale
These light - color insects wait just like their name implies . The lightsome - color scurf sometimes have hard - shell bodies . On the plant , they often look like a growing or fungus .
#5. Whiteflies
When stir up , they vaporize around the plant like swirling bits of dust . whitefly easily develop electric resistance to insecticides .
pismire are attracted to the sweet honeydew secreted by aphids , mealy bug , scale leaf , and whiteflies . Ants nesting in the commode must be repeatedly flood . This works best when you offer a drier home nearby .
order a pail of compost next to the infested smoke . Place a stick bridge between the two containers . Once the emmet have all left the flood works , you may dump the compost outdoors .
Insect Pest Controls
The uncomplicated and safe method acting of manipulate insects is a scoop and water bathtub . Aphids , mealy bugs , mite , and young scales all can be washed away . Those that persist will be more susceptible to disease outbreaks because of the high humidness in their immediate environment .
you’re able to reposition grownup scales with an onetime soup-strainer , a toothpick , or a cotton swob . Dip the cotton mop in intoxicant to rub away aphid or gritty bugs . A bath in weak alcohol and water solution will kill big infestations without harm most plant . If you think your flora might be sensitive to alcohol , test a folio with a mild root and look a few days to see if any wrong appears .
Dormant oil spray , uncommitted at garden shopping centre and hardware stores , is a atoxic control for mealy hemipteron , young scales , andspider mites . The sprayer is secure for most flora . Do not use it on epiphytic plants such as the comet orchidaceous plant , or on delicate ferns and haired flick gesneraids such as African Violets .
Chemical insecticides should be used as a last resort on indoor flora . take a spray give voice for indoor use and apply according to label directions .
Garden insecticides such as Sevin or malathion may be used . However , habituate half - strength or weaker solutions . Take the plant outdoors to spray and allow it to dry before bringing it back in .
Never spray indoors where ventilation is inadequate . Be sure the malarkey carries the spray off from you , not onto you . wear out protective clothing and gloves . Mix only as much insecticide as you need , and dispose of any leftovers concord to package directions .
