MOST COMMON HOUSEPLANT PESTS!
Houseplants bring the green of the outside world inside for us to enjoy! Let’s talk about pest control, how to remedy pest problems & how to identify common pests!
APHIDS: Yuk! These little guys are typically found enjoying a meal on the under-side of leaves or new growth! They suck sap out & give your poor plants yellowing & deformed leaves!
-What to look for: small, pear shaped bugs ranging in color from green, yellow, brown or black.
-Signs they’re “visiting”: you will notice shiny, sticky areas on your plant! Look closer for the bugs!
-Control: hand wipe the bugs & residue off with warm, soapy water… a drop of dawn dish soap does great! You can even wipe with swabs dipped in 70% alcohol mix. Spraying with an insecticidal soap is recommended to reduce re-appearances!
FUNGUS GNATS: These gnats are a pain in the you-know-what. Usually, thankfully, a few won’t do a ton of harm to your plants… but we don’t want them! If you don’t get rid of a few, it WILL turn into a ton. If the problem gets intense… they will begin to lay their eggs in the soil of your plant! Eventually the larvae will begin feeding on decaying plant material in your soil & on your plant’s root system!
-What to look for: little black bugs buzzing around near your plant, especially when you move or shake your plants! No thanks!
-Control: re-pot your plants with quality soil that drains well. (we recommend Fertilome ultimate potting mix.) Dense, over-watered soil is where gnats love to breed! Do not use soil with moisture control for indoor houseplants.
-Remedy: indoor/outdoor spray & definitely a good granular insecticide systemic in the soil to kill larvae & prevent eggs from hatching! Gnat traps also work as well to catch what’s flying around and lure them out of the soil!
LEAF MINERS: invisible to the eye, but they’re not good at covering their tracks!
-What to look for: little trails found on leaves. Leaf Miners sneak around between layers of the leaf. I imagine them digging a path into the layers of a leaf like miners digging into the ground and making a tunnel. Good name for them!
-Control: remove damaged leaves. Use insecticidal spray to prevent them from spreading!
MEALY BUGS: gross… gross gross gross!! These small, white, fluffy pests are disgusting! They usually begin on the under-side of the leaves & they love to feed on new growth. They hide out in the crevices of plant stems where leaves emerge. Once your plant is really infested, they’re EVERYWHERE!! They spread very quickly.
-What to look for: yellowing leaves, sticky clumps on leaves, masses of white “cotton”.
-Control: hand wipe the leaves, wash in warm soapy water, spray with indoor/outdoor insecticide aerosol!
SCALE: most people don’t know these are bugs… they can look like part of the plant at first glance! These little guys are “armored” pests. Most of them are flat, rounded, hard-bodied growths that appear clustered on stems & under-sides of leaves. Scale ranges in color & normally there will be a darker spot in the center of their “bodies”
-Control: scrape these off with your fingernail…unless that creeps you out. Then a good second choice is to brush them off with a toothbrush.
-Remedy: Neem oil is a recommended product!
SPIDER MITES: We… and by “we” I mean all of us… DREAD spider mites. These pests are difficult to see with the naked eye, but they can be spotted by their silky webs that they leave among stems & leaves. Spider mites cause a lot of damage, quickly. It’s a good idea to use a preventative, because it’s way easier to prevent than it is to treat.
-What to look for: discoloring on the leaves like the color is being “sucked out”. Look for webbing & tiny little white particles that look like dust. If you see discoloring, use a microscope or magnifying glass to try to spot the spider mites.
-Control/remedy: harder than most pests. Thoroughly spray the plant to dislodge the mites & their webs. Use insecticidal soap, neem oil, an insecticide containing sulfur, or indoor/outdoor aerosol spray. This will take several weeks of care with re-application.
*When purchasing alocasia, palm, ivy, etc… use a granular insecticide as a precaution to prevent mites!
THRIP: speedy little winged monsters! They are normally found on top of leaves, feeding on sap.
-What to look for: long, thin, tan bugs. Damage will look like leaves curling & starting to be misshaped, color fading & leaves browning & dying.
-Control: rinse plant, spray with insecticide. Spinosad works well on thrip.