Ask your garden center for advice. Houseplants are susceptible to attack by many insects and mite pests. Be sure to test before using one of these homemade soap sprays on your plants. So keep your family and pets safe, and skip the toxic chemical pesticides on your houseplants. « Yes, You can Eat that! If your plants become severely infested, it would be best to just get rid of them. Biological controls exist for aphids, caterpillars, mealy bugs, soft scale insects, red spider mites, thrips, vine weevil larvae, and whiteflies. Catnip helps to deter ants, weevils, aphids, flea beetles, Japanese beetles and squash bugs. We hate spam. Keep the plant in isolation for about six weeks; make visual inspections to ensure pests are gone. Hello! However, plants placed in very hot, dry sites are prone to problems with spider mites. Houseplant pests are even more annoying than normal pests because these can make their way into your home! At first, I thought it was dirt than ran out as the pot was shifted or dirt settled, but I realized that the granules were too regular. Learn More. These small, usually green, sap-sucking insects infest flowers, shoot tips, and soft leaves, sucking sap and causing mottling and distortion. Improper watering, too much or too little water can harm the plant. It’s also good to keep new plants away from others for a few days in case the plant has pests like mealybugs, spider mites, aphids, or thrips that … Undersides of leaves develop small globules of a red liquid that eventually turns black. Soak a cotton bud in the alcohol and apply directly to the bugs. These pests are great at hiding themselves. I’ve got leaves dying and dropping off at the base of my English ivy’s. Regularly remove dead leaves and flowers. All Rights Reserved. Catnip called Six Hills Giant is a … This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The larvae—fat, legless, and creamy white with brown heads—inhabit compost and chew roots. They also excrete honeydew, which attracts ants and encourages the presence of a fungal disease called sooty mold. The mealy bugs are only going to spread. Check houseplants for disease or insects before you buy them. No doubt prevention is better than cure when it comes to bug annoyance! It’s true. Thrips: these tiny, dark brown, fly-like insects jump from one plant to another. If your houseplant is heavily infested, carefully pinch off the stem to remove it from the plant. 10. There is no sign of any infestation on the leaves of my plants or at the top of the soil. Systemic granules can also be sprinkled into the soil of the plant to reduce and prevent infestations. Each time you water your plants, inspect both the top and undersides of the leaves for signs of pests or disease. Handpick large pests such as earwigs, caterpillars, slugs and millipedes. Houseplants add aesthetic value and function to indoor spaces. Any of these insects can kill your plants if untreated. We’ve made a list of ways you can prevent pests from infesting your houseplants. Now that you know how to prevent pests in the first place, you must keep monitoring to eliminate as many opportunities as possible for future infestations. Adults are beetle-like, with a short snout. These pests feed on the leaves, stems, or roots of your plants. Never use infected plants as propagation material. This website is filled with great content and ideas to help you grow amazing houseplants and keep them healthy and happy. Signs of a Problem: You’ll usually notice the flies before you notice your plants suffering much, but if your houseplant’s leaves start looking pale and limp, whitefly might be to blame. Like many other houseplant pests, these party-poopers suck the literal life out of your plants. Excessively moist soil favors the development of problems with fungus gnats. All Rights Reserved. However, houseplant pests can be sneaky, finding the smallest crevices to hide in and quietly nesting in your plants without you knowing. How to Control Houseplant Pests Naturally. Repel a large variety of indoor plant pests with catnip. Scale insects: swollen, waxy-brown discs, usually static, under which female scale insects produce their young. Mist plants with clean water where there is a risk (or presence) of red spider mites. Use once a week to get rid of bugs and once every four weeks for prevention. Keep in mind that houseplant pests, like mealybugs or aphids, aren’t bugs that you’re going to find crawling around on your pillow. ), by hitching a ride on your clothes or your pet, or even by hiding themselves in that gorgeous new plant you’ve added to your plant shelf. The number one way to prevent pest propblems is to optimize your plants' health. Did you know that you have to dust your plants, just like you dust your furniture? Spray the plant until it … Photography courtesy of Fox Chapel Publishing. Pest infestations are common on houseplants, but expert David Squire is here with some tips from his book The Houseplant Handbook: Basic Growing Techniques and a Directory of 300 Everyday Houseplants to help prevent, identify, and get rid of houseplant pests before they do too much damage. Using Dish Soap To Get Rid Of Houseplant Bugs Naturally Dish soap sprays and washes can also be very effective in getting rid of houseplant pests naturally. A satchel of dried catnip helps in deterring ants that invade the home, as well. Spray small plants in a sink. Vine weevils: serious pests in the adult form, when young, and as larvae. Prevent & Control Houseplant Pests There is nothing like the positive energy provided by greenery. Here are some common pests to watch out for, how to identify them, and what damage they cause. This is where I much prefer leca to soil, because the easiest, cheapest, and most effective way to get rid of pests is to blast the plant with water. They are minute, eight-legged, spider-like creatures that cluster on the undersides of leaves. It seems that many pests attact plants that are already weak, such as from inadequate light. Healthy plants will be able to ward off pests and disease much better than weak plants. Wait for the top layer of soil to become dry to the touch before you water your plant again to help prevent gnats from appearing, and avoid overwatering it too. Larger houseplant insects can be controlled by handpicking. Garden Therapy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth over the top of dry potting soil to get rid of these houseplant bugs. This can be done by spraying short, strong bursts. For those who prefer to enjoy nature from the comfort of their own home, a houseplant … Learn More, © Garden Therapy, 2009-2020. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try a bug will find its way into your plant and create an entire colony. Handpicking. Keep your plants healthy. Houseplant pest problems also tend to explode indoors since the pests’ natural enemies rarely come inside our homes. And parabens. Mealybugs are very hard to get rid of. David Squire studied botany and horticulture at the Hertforshire College of Horticulture and the Royal Horticulture Society’s Garden at Wisley, England, where he gained the Wisley Diploma in Hotriculture and was awarded an NK Gould Memorial Prize for his collection of herbarium specimens. Use insecticidal soaps, which are ideal against a wide range of insects and mites. Spray sturdier plants with lukewarm water from a squirt bottle. Get seasonal garden & craft ideas sent to you weekly. So hopefully you now know all the best ways to get rid of houseplant bugs naturally, and keep them away for good. This site uses cookies to deliver its services, to personalize ads and to analyze traffic. Your email address will not be published. I just recently began finding small piles of ‘dirt’ as the base of my pots where the drainage hole is. As a result, houseplant pests can multiply very quickly, so you have to be diligent about checking for symptoms. Do you have any ideas as to what these could be and recommendations on how to treat them? If you catch the problem early, cut out the infested branches. Use insecticidal soap: Insecticidal soaps are available on the market (such as Safer's Insecticidal Soap), or you can make your own by using a dish detergent such as Ivory Liquid. You can also carefully place natural aphid predators, like lacewing or ladybugs. Investigate biological controls, which means using other insects and mites to control pests. Battling with houseplant pests, aphids, bugs, and spider mites is a time-consuming and frustrating process. Click here to read more about me and the story behind Garden Therapy. Whitefly: small, moth-like white insects that flutter from one plant to another when disturbed. How To Treat Scale On Plants 1. Rinse off your plants with plain water to remove visible pests. Turn the plant upside down and dip the foliage portion into a bucket of clean room-temperature water. Today I thought I share with you the natural cleaner DIY I use for my houseplants. How To Get Rid of Fungus Gnats, a Common Houseplant Pest | realtor.com® × … To prevent any bugs from taking over, Acree has a two-step, non-toxic routine she uses. Learn how your comment data is processed. Watering affects houseplant pests in a couple of differerent of ways. Edible Ornamentals, Plant an All-Season Edible Flower Garden ». Spray large plants in a shower. Organic: These pests need organic matter to feed off and moist upper soil conditions. Like all plants, houseplants will occasionally come under attack from pests. Let the plant’s soil dry out between waterings. Your email address will not be published. Indoor Plant Projects for Modern Day Decor, Which Herbs to Grow Indoors (and Which Ones Not to), Keep Blooms Beautiful with a DIY Orchid Humidity Tray, How to Keep Air Plants Alive and Healthy (They Might Even Bloom!). It is much easier to prevent attack by pests and diseases than to eliminate them from badly affected plants. Overwatering isn’t a risk with leca (once it’s fully transitioned, anyway). They have a mealy or powder-like covering and are mostly found on the undersides of leaves, sucking sap, causing distortion, and excreting honeydew, which encourages the presence of ants and sooty mold. In most cases all house pests are unwanted (except maybe if you live in Australia). How to Prevent Houseplant Pests; Many common houseplant pests can cause extensive damage if allowed to get out of control. Worst of all, they can fly. Rubbing alcohol —A natural remedy to kill common household pests is to apply rubbing alcohol. Implementing a few preventative measures can keep your plants healthy and strong. Here are some prevention tips. No one wants to deal with pests, especially when they hinder the health of your plants. Find more details in these articles: Take care to choose houseplants that will thrive on the amount of light you can provide. They suck sap, causing leaves to crinkle and darken. How to Get Rid of the Bugs from the Houseplant Soil Organically Houseplants tend to experience an insect infestation, especially in the month of summer. Stopping new houseplant pests in their tracks. Prevent Pest Problems. Having plants in the house feels both refreshing and cozy, until…yuck! In addition to the very welcome benefit of purifying the air in your home, a little foliage around the house is a great way to give any room a bit of color and a fresh vibe. My love of plants healed me from a debilitating illness, so I know the power of garden therapy firsthand. Finding pests on your houseplants can be very worrying. Is there something I can apply to stop this process? You can also dab the mealybugs with a cotton swab soaked in rubbing alcohol. For some pests, biological controls also exist. Preventing Bugs From Infesting Your Plants. Your privacy is very important to us and we have outlined how we use information on our Privacy and Cookies Page. If the seven pests listed above are any indicator, houseplant pests can reproduce rapidly and cause damage seemingly overnight. They suck sap, causing distortion, loss of vigor, and yellowing of leaves. They pierce leaves and flowers, sucking sap and causing silvery mottling and streaking. Flowering is shortened and buds become distorted and may fall off. The Houseplant Handbook: Basic Growing Techniques and a Directory of 300 Everyday Houseplants, Houseplant Handbook: Basic Growing Techniques and a Directory of 300 Houseplants, Prevent and Get Rid of Annoying Fungus Gnats, Naturally, Playing with Houseplants for Indoor Garden Therapy, Summering Houseplants in Beautiful Arrangements, These Aren’t Your Grandma’s Houseplants! No matter what the season, filling your indoor space with houseplants is a great way to bring nature inside and get your garden therapy in the warmth and comfort of your home. Your indoor air by filtering out common pollutants often to prevent springtails is optimize! Crinkle and darken heavily infested, carefully pinch off the stem to remove it the. Once it ’ s fully transitioned, anyway ) of clean room-temperature water non-toxic she! Behind garden therapy firsthand the quality of your plants without you knowing for signs of pests or disease to! 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