You work hard to make sure your plants get everything they need to grow big and strong. You water when you should and give each plant exactly the light it needs. So why do your plants have pests? An infestation can happen to even the most diligent of gardeners, but there’s no need for alarm. In this article you while find the tools and tricks necessary to handle common pests and keep your plants healthy.
First off, you’re going to need some supplies. The arsenal below contains all the items you need to effectively treat and remove indoor pests safely and without harmful chemicals.
1. Spray bottle
2. Rubbing Alcohol
3. Toothpick / chopstick : Optional, but handy for picking off scale bugs, but you can use your fingers.
4. Neem Oil : Find in Bulk or Health Food stores.
5. Castile Soap : Dr. Bronner’s, Green Beaver, etc.
6. Gloves : Optional, but bugs can be sorta gross.
7. Cloth or Paper Towel
8. Sticky trap : Available at most hardware/ home supply stores
9. Fresh Soil
General Prevention
Ideally, our plants wouldn’t get pests in the first place and there are some things you can do to prevent an infestation before it even starts:
- Wipe down leaves regularly with slightly soapy water. In addition to keeping pests away, this helps your plant photosynthesize efficiently.
- Avoid overwatering. Excellent advice in general, but letting the soil dry out in between waterings prevents gnats and other pests from taking up residence in your soil.
- Spend time examining your plants. Grab some tea and take a few minutes to check out the condition of the leaves, stems, and soil. This way you can catch an infestation before it gets out of hand.
- Separate any infested plants from the others. All 4 of the most common type of pest travel from plant to plant.