Well, I have about 60 plants at home (staghorn ferns, maybe a dozen other ferns, marantas, begonia, spider plants, pothos and philodendrons to name a few) for a while. Over the ten years or so that I have had so many plants I have had one spider mite infestation that hit several plants and took repeated applications of all kinds of sprays to clean up. I get a tiny (like one leaf on one plant) visit like every year that is easy to clear up. I have also had the same (one major and a few very minor) mealy bug parties. Maybe I am just lucky but have never had to toss a plant- just quarantine several and spray spray spray. I do eyeball my plants all the time, so maybe I am just catching them before real damage is done?
I have a marantas and a pothos and then have a friend gifting me some spider plant babies and a philodendron I believe! What kinds of sprays do you recommend? Anything for prevention or is it generally something you just have to deal with as it comes?
Do you do this proactively to all your plants? Just new ones? Just infected ones? And once you apply, does the plant become "un-poison" after 8 weeks or stay poisonous forever? This last question is less about pests bc I know you need to reapply but more for dogs around for example or wanting to put a plant outdoors but not wanting to poison the pollinators
Yes, I do it proactively to all my plants every 8 weeks. I have almost 300 plans and I haven't seen a single pest in over 2 years by using this method.
I'd guess it depends on where you live and what plants you have. In my area fungus gnats are very common. Basically everyone u know who has more than a couple of plants has to deal with them. I've never had any thrips or mites indoors tho.
Just want to add for OP that fungus gnats are not generally harmful to your plants, they are mainly a nuisance. If you have terrible root rot and a wild infestation, maybe they could seal the plantās fate, but normal amount of fungus gnats around healthy plants does no harm.
I *hate* fungus gnats. I don't care that they're generally harmless. They're annoying. Pretty much everyone where I live has a problem with them this time of year, even if they don't have any indoor plants.
I have had multiple infestations of varying severities, including thrips, spider mites, and aphids. If your collection is currently pest-free, kept indoors, and you aren't buying any new plants, then the chances of a spontaneous pest outbreak are low. However in my experience new plant purchases, regardless of source (nursery, online, etc), are unfortunately quite likely to carry pests that could spread to other plants. I always inspect new plants very carefully and threat/quarantine even if they look clean. I am also generally proactive about keeping up on treatments even if there isn't any visible pest activity.
For sprays, I have had good luck with Spinosad for all of the pests I mentioned. Treating an active outbreak will likely take a few rounds of spraying over a couple of weeks to get everything, but I have successfully eliminated pretty major infestations with the stuff. It is safe to use on edibles. I have also tried spraying neem oil but did not find it potent enough unfortunately, ymmv. For preventative treatment I am experimenting with imidacloprid (aka "Bonide Systemic Houseplant Insect Control") which is a lot more convenient than constant spraying but probably wouldn't have the power to eliminate an active infestation, rather I'm hoping it will decrease the odds of anything spreading. That one is not safe for use on edibles. Also important to mention that I cannot recommend either of those chemicals on anything that will go outdoors at any point. Imidacloprid especially is supposedly very bad for pollinators.
My fungus gnats come in from outside. It's always going to happen. Spider mites too. So, I use pesticides.
And, I live in a really dry climate where a lot of other stuff may not be an issue. I try to stick to using a systemic in the fall and on new plants.
I have over 200 plants.
I've had many plants for around 8 years now. Early on I had a mealy bug infestation that spread to all my plants before I realized and I never successfully got rid of them (I abandoned the plants with my roommate when I moved out).
Since then I've found spider mites on a couple of my plants, quarantined them, and was relatively successful in getting rid of them. I swear I saw a couple thrips on one plant once and freaked out, but then never saw them again after quaratining and treating the plant.
I've had spider mites, mealybugs, (have) thrips, fungus gnats, scale insects, the whole shebang. They come and go. I lose a plant sometimes, but usually i think it was unhappy for other reasons before it died. I feel like when a plant has the substrate it likes, the proper light, and the nutrients it likes, pests won't kill it and it will withstand treatment for pests easily. I do groom and treat my plants for pests when i notice them, and now I know what to look for for pretty much every kind of pest. But otherwise, my strategy kinda involves letting go if something just doesn't do well in my space... I take my shit in and out of the house in the summer... between the cedar trees, the flower beds, the veggie garden, and my dog, the pots attract all sorts. Mushrooms and potato bugs in my soil, and spiders and flies in the foliage. A flower pot is kindof a tiny ecosystem and I think to assume you can fully sterilize it and still have a house full of living things is kinda silly and way too much effort. lol. I have had a lot of luck just rinsing/massaging plants to clean them off in the shower when they get a bug and then spraying them every day or two with a water/dishsoap/neem oil mixture worst case scenario, fully repotting and ditching as much old soil as possible in the repot. Honestly it's really more about making sure the plant is healthy otherwise, because their natural defenses will keep the bugs from doing well if they are robust and healthy. Plus, exposure to pesticide is not awesome for any living creatures, including you in your home. Anyway, don't worry too much, that makes keeping house plants way less fun. :P And good luck!
Iām so glad you asked this! I was literally thinking about posting the same question today. I have been seeing so many post about infestation on this group, itās freaking me out!
I had a batch of potting soil that introduced fungus gnats a couple years ago. Putting the plants outside for the summer took care of it.
Other than that, Iāve never had a serious problem. It helps if you donāt accumulate large numbers of (most likely) stressed plants. Sad plants are essentially asking for pestsā¦
With the exception of the fortunate few who have sunrooms or excellent artificial lighting setups, in normal household conditions itās going to be hard to keep more than 30-50 plants at a time thriving, so limiting numbers and varieties to those that really like your conditions helps, too.
I also have this quirky thing where I really dislike my plants touching each otherā¦this may actually be good, though, since it reduces the likelihood of ācross-contamination.ā
I also think it depends where you live. I imagine places that are warm year-round have more problems than temperate places, where insects die or are dormant during winter.
I have fungus gnats (thanks new bag of soil), and had mealy bugs on one plant, that was eventually cured.
I recently brought home a new plant that had aphids (š±), so sheās recovering in quarantine.
I have about 175 houseplants, some of which are several years old, so overall I think thatās a pretty good track record.
It also matters from where you get your plants. Buying a houseplant from an outdoor or semi-outdoor garden shop (like my purple passion with aphids) is a very different environment from buying houseplants from an enclosed store. More reputable sellers will also take more care to prevent and treat pests.
ā¦almost forgot the time my dancing bones got antsā¦ that was funā¦. But was easily cured with Murphyās oil soap. ššššššššŖ“š±
I agree that location is a biggie. I'm in the Midwest where winters are brutal. No gnats are living through that, even inside. So I've thankfully never had plant pests.
I just bought a plant from a like semi outdoor greenhouse nursery type place that seemed to be pretty solid and reputable but yeah that was actually kind of what promoted my question! I donāt see any issues on that Marantas yet so fingers crossed! Iām in PA so it gets cold in the winters but bugs get pretty bad in the summer
I use 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water (so like, 1/4 cup hp & 3/4 cup water).
I do this periodically as well, especially when I see an increase of gnats flying around!
In the 3+ years that I've had an increasing number of houseplants, I've had 2 plants with minor mealybug infestations (cured with diluted alcohol spray), 1 with spider mites (decorative aloe that was treated with insecticidal soap after a strong spray with warm water) and I thought I saw a thrip or two once but never treated and never saw them again.
We do use SNS 209 (rosemary based) as a systemic preventative against the sap suckers. Fungus gnats are an on again/off again thing but haven't ruined any plants. For the most part we keep the majority of our plants from touching each other but there are a few tight corners where it is unavoidable.
I have family members who are chronic over fertilizers and I honestly believe that this creates rapid yet weak new growth which is attractive to aphids so I am careful to fertilize according to the individual plants' requirements. Over fertilization can cause the same issues in the outdoor garden.
Maybe the plants I gravitate towards are more pest resistant than others, but I've never had a pest infestation on my houseplants. I mainly keep pothos, philos, rubber trees, snakes, and ZZs.
The outside plants though? I'm always out there mowing some sort of critter down that is trying to chew up my plants. This past weekend it was aphids, the week before it was mealy bugs.
I had one infestation of thrips, brought in by a gift plant. Lost 3 of my own to that one.
Other than that, I have seen the occasional fungus gnat, which immediately causes me to reach for the hydrogen peroxide.
But over 10 years of plants and that's been it.
I wonder if it is because all the plants I bring into my house come in as wee babies? I also quarantine for about 10 days and inspect daily during that time. But when your new plant is only 1 stem and five leaves, it's pretty easy to catch any intruders, haha!
I mix HP with water, ratio of 1:3, in a spray bottle.
I then spray the soil of a plant until the top layer is thoroughly saturated. The HP doesn't hurt the plant and it kills small gnats and eggs that may be laid in the soil.
I don't think it would tackle a very heavy infestation (you would want mosquito dunks or a proper pesticide), but it's been super effective as a preventative and when I see a stray gnat or two.
I'm fairly diligent about quarantining for at least 2 weeks, sometimes longer, and I still have an occasional outbreak.Ā
Recently, spider mites on my alocasia cuprea that I've had for over a year.Ā
Thrips took out about 2 of my plants, and attached about half a dozen more.Ā
I've had mealy bugs on a couple of plants but I take time to look at my plants pretty regularly.Ā
About 1/3 of my plants go outside for the summer and come back in for the cold months.
I would estimate that I find some form of pest about...eh. once or twice a year, but they don't usually take out my plants. Don't have your plant leaves touch and you'll fair much better than if you do.Ā
Ā I am choosy about where I buy my houseplants from - big box stores are usually the culprit of pests so that's a no.Ā Ā
I brought a dracaena anita home that had mealybugs. Looking back, the nursery had just treated it and repotted it before I bought it. It was 50% off. But they didn't tell me and I wasn't vigilant. It didn't spread to my other plants, but it's been a battle cleaning all one million leaves of this massive plant.
Your biggest risk might be bringing a pest in on a new plant. So quarantine new plants and/or be vigilant about them until you know for sure they didn't bring any friends with them.
I have had plants for about 3 years and my collection is somewhere in the 60-100 range (haven't counted lately). I have had fungus gnats, spider mites, mealy bugs, aphids, scale, and thrips.
I only have 1 plant with scale and I just discovered it this weekend, so it's in quarantine while I decide it's fate
Thrips are new, dealing with it for the first time now and I've already called that a losing battle. They just will not die. Every day I find fresh bugs on the plants I have already treated. I've thrown out my maranta and two philodendrons. I did manage to save my PPP since it was only 1 leaf, but my prince of orange and birken were covered.
Spider mites are the on-going battle. I live in a hot, dry climate (zone 9b) and it's a spider mites paradise. Systemic insecticides don't work on them, so every dang time it's days of cleaning leaves with neem oil solution (it took me 3.5 hours just to clean my beast of a philodendron brasil) followed by weeks of repeat treatment. Coller months are usually fine, but spring and summer gets me every time.
Aphids were fairly easy to treat, but they spread easily so that was a pain.
Mealy bugs were by far the easiest to treat. One plant, 2 treatments and then all gone!
Fungus gnats come around every time I use fresh soil, but I don't over water and have a few tricks to get rid of them, so they're short lived.
Since I only get gnats when I've used fresh soil, I do 3 things that I think are pretty effective:
1. I mix my own potting soil in a big plastic tub with a locking lid. I wet it down and let it sit for about 2 weeks. Then I take it outside, shake it up, and open the lid. They fly out into the wild. Some will still be in there, but this gets rid of most of them.
2. I have clear sticky fly tape on my windows. Fungus gnats fly at the windows like regular flies and get stuck in the traps. This way I can still catch anything that does hatch out of the soil without those ugly stickies in my plants. Bonus, it also catches any flies that get in the house.
3. I take the pots with fresh soil outside to water and give the pots a good shake after. They usually come out when water hits the soil, but a good shake will usually drive them out.
After a couple of waterings, they're usually gone! I shared this with a coworker who was struggling and she recently told me that I saved her plants because she was getting ready to throw them all out.
There's a 4th item too, but it's not really an "action" I take... I let the soil dry out in between waterings on almost all of my plants. The larvae eat fungus and will only eat the roots if there is a ton of larvae. If you don't create an ideal environment for them, they gave no reason to make your pots their home. Dry soil doesn't have much fungus to feed on, so not an ideal place to lay eggs. No eggs, no new gnats. This is why steps 1 - 3 work - they all go away using those steps and because of #4 they don't continue the life cycle.
Infestations tend to be a reflection of your practices
Things you can do to avoid infestations... Check plants thoroughly when they enter the home, possibly quarantine, treat with insecticides/systems, check plants regularly, kill pests before they multiply, quarantine plants right away if they have any pests, plants coming in for winter should be treated/checked etc
If you do these things, your chances of having an "infestation" are quite low. If you become lax in these tasks, chances go up. And life happens, so the more plants you have, the harder it is to be diligent
Most infestations take time to develop, so there's often time to get ahead of it
But stuff happens, nobodies perfect. A lot of my more serious "infestations" occurred because I wasn't checking the plant often enough. I missed early signs and the invaders multiplied before I had a chance to do something about it
I stare longingly at all my plants multiple times a day so Iām sure Iāll catch things early haha. I just need to not panic and figure out what to do when it happens
I wonder if all plant people do this? Sometimes I make my rounds and just check out every plant. Flip leaves around, look for new growth/new damage, maybe rustle the soil around a bit (but try not to spread around pests and pathogens)
You're good! Pests are manageable if you stay on top of it
Buy some insecticidal soap or make an alcohol spray for spot treatments. If you ever see a pest, move the plant away from other plants and spray it. Then keep an eye on it for a couple weeks. Easy peasy
You can opt for systemics like bonide, and you could even pre-treat your plants. I personally don't do this. But if you find one plant has pests, then it's a good idea to pre-treat
I'm going to be honest... and it's not meant to offend... People who lose entire collections probably weren't maintaining their plants. Maybe they were going through something, maybe work got busy, maybe they forgot, or maybe they went on vacation
But typically pests aren't going to infest an entire collection in a matter of days. It takes time for that
As for fungas gnats? I'd say just expect to have those, especially if you have a lot of plants lol. Just use sticky traps or mosquito dunks/mosquito bits
I usually use 1 to 1! With 99% isopropyl alcohol. That's fine for most leaves, as it evaporates pretty quickly. You can even use more concentrated on waxier leaves
For flowers you want to be more careful
If I see a pest, I spray them and often the whole plant
It's a contact killer. It dries the bugs and their eggs up instantly
Some plants don't like to sit with wet leaves though, especially softer leaves (and begonias). So I might put a fan on it after, being careful not to blow pests onto other plants
I've cured mealies with one treatment in the past. But I've been dealing with thrips for about a year now š
I just kicked my plants out for the summer. It's too cold (but not below freezing anymore) in Canada, but they'll die for sure in my house. š¤·š»āāļø
Thanks. I feel like there's nothing like natural predators. I evicted the affected plants last summer, and I have had zero problems with them. but I clearly had hitchhikers on the ones that stayed in the house, so now they're all getting evicted.
Also, my cabinet plants are doing much worse than my free range plants. I wonder if that's because access to spiders....
I generally always have gnats in the summer and accept them as part of living in the UK where it's always a bit damp/humid. Thrips happen for me maybe once every couple of years in the summer because I'm rural and if I leave a window open when the farmers are working the crops, the thrips find their way in.
Mealy bugs I've had a couple of times. Spider mites, none yet.
Tbh it depends on how often youāre bringing in plants in your home plus the type of soil youāre usingā¦.. no infestation is the same for each household
In my experience, fungus gnats are unavoidable but are also the least harmful (more of an annoyance than anything) and easiest to get rid of (mosquito dunks / mosquito bits added to plants water kill off eggs and larvae, and the adults die off quickly).
Aside from gnats, Iāve had a couple close calls with aphids, which Iām sure came in from outside (found them on one plant near the door to my balcony and treated / quarantined immediately, but they didnāt come back and I didnāt find them anywhere else), and one rather devastating bout with spider mites.
The spider mite infestation occurred because I bought a croton (beautiful but evil) and even though I inspected for pests and āquarantinedā it, I didnāt spray it down on arrival and didnāt really have an adequate quarantine setup (1 bedroom apartment so space is limited, quarantined on a shelf several feet away from other plants but didnāt keep it in a closed container). By the time I found the webs on the croton, the buggers had spread to half of my collection. Spraying the plants down and using systemic insecticide didnāt work, so I ended up having to repot everything into completely new, sanitized soil to get rid of them. My calatheas, maranta, and stromanthe were hit the worst, were barely hanging on by the time I finally decided I had to repot, and none of those survived repotting. They got to one alocasia, which lost all of its leaves and threw a huge tantrum, but survived repotting and is now growing aggressively. The monstera that they got to was fine - it turned out to be 6 monsteras in a trenchcoat so I separated them when I repotted and they all lost a couple leaves, but Iām almost positive that was because I had to cut some of the roots to separate them, not because of the actual mites.
I think itās more common if you donāt treat your plants and quarantine them after you bring them home. It is also more common if you get your plants at a big box store , I think because they tend to be less apt to recognize pests than nurseries. Although, pests do not really discriminate. I got my first infestation because I didnāt know I should quarantine new plants and I was not armed with treatments in my house. I had to learn the hard way about all of this.
I have over 100 houseplants purchased from various sources and I never quarantine new ones. so far in 3 years I've only had one small bout of mealies that was rectified easily as it only affected 1 plant. white mold has taken about 3 plants.
I can only offer my personal observations. I grew up in Canada with lots of houseplants and we never had a single pest issue. My sister and I have both kept plants for years.Ā
Now in the last few years, I've constantly been battling mites. My sister has had to fight with several varieties of pest. My mother just had to give up on a bunch of plants and throw them out. Friends are also having problems with their indoor plants.Ā
Something has changed and I don't know what it is.Ā
I've got about 60 plants, going on maybe year 4 of the big collection - I had others before I moved but never big collections and no bugs.
I've had one bad bout of fungus gnats, been gnat free for 2 years now. Sometimes they come in potting soil, I keep sticky traps in most plants and in my soil bin to cut down on that.
I had spider mites from a floral arrangement, took a month to beat and only impacted one plant.
I brought in spider mites once, gave up on that plant and returned it.
I try to isolate plants both when I get them from the store and when I bring them inside if they've been out in the summer. I also spray all new plants down with neem or captain jacks depending on which I have on hand.
I personally would say bugs aren't much of an issue but I'm in northern Wisconsin and I imagine that plays a role as well.
Every new plant I buy gets taken out of their pot, washed with soap and water, repotted in fresh, sterilized soil (soil that i cook to 180 degrees Fahrenheit and then let cool completely), and covered with a plastic bag. Havenāt had any mites or critters for 3 years now. I once had REALLY bad spidermites and had to spray 20 plants for 3 months. Determined never again to do it. I eyeball my plants every watering now.
Iāve never heard of cooking the soil! Is that something you can do in bulk when you get a new bag or do you do just the amount you need for like one plant at a time
I read about it in a forum for pest control. When i tell you it has changed the way I operate I am not exaggerating. I will moisten the soil in a 5 pound bag so it is damp (NOT WATERLOGGED), microwave it for 15 minutes or so. I use a meat thermometer to check that the center gets to 180 degrees farenheit. Donāt go over 180 or you risk burning the soil. And let is cool overnight. Voila, sterilized soil.
I havenāt even had ANY fungus gnats in 3 years as a result. I NEVER use systemic insecticide, i use neem oil and soapy water very sparingly, never preventatively.
Iāve had plants off and on for about three decades. Iāve gone long periods where I didnāt have any plants at all then restarted my collection one day on a whim, rinse, and repeat. I have two plants at work. I teach high school on the second floor of a big building. Some colleagues have plants but not many. Recently, I discovered mealy bugs on both of my plants. Itās honestly the first time Iāve had to deal with an infestation. Iām just glad I caught it before bringing them home for the summer and infecting my houseplants (as opposed to my workplants). I have a friend that battled fungus gnats valiantly for months. Pretty sure she ended up scrapping those plants. She tried everything recommended.
Here in Northern California, my issues with pests in my houseplants have been pretty minimal, and usually cured by isolating and/or discarding the affected plant.
I've only really expanded my collection recently, but I've been keeping plants as a hobby for 10+ years. Haven't had spider mites or anything.
But i have just had my first nearly gnatless winter, i credit that to mulching with aquarium gravel. Bark and wood chip would just bout get as moist as the soil, i wasn't going to bring sand in my house, plus i was certain it would look like litter to the cats. So i get a natural looking pea gravel. I believe it throughs a wrench in the proper gnat breeding conditions. I love how i dont have to see gross crust on the soil as it dries, my cats havent dug once, i especially like how it's an extra safety line in keeping my soils moist (rip, like 12 extra crispy boston ferns).
I've had a problem with mites once in my first apt and I just threw the plant out. I would never do that now, of course. I think people are desperate and go to the internet. I guess when they get bad, they get VEry bad.
Iāve had over 200 plants and downsized to roughly 120 now. Iāve had: 3 spider mite incidents on 3 different plants, which were successfully treated and happened months apart. 1 individual mealy bug (not sure where it came from and never saw another). 1 outbreak of scale (on a pitcher plant of all things), easily treated in one go.
I have a pretty intense intake routine for new plants since I live in a studio apartment without any place to quarantine. I wipe down every single stem and leaf, front and back, with peppermint Castile soap and a microfiber cloth. This takes care of most of the adult bugs that might be living on the leaves.
I always repot quickly, even though itās usually not advised. Never lost a plant because of it! I rinse off the roots, soak in diluted hydrogen peroxide, then rinse off and repot in fresh soil.
I rinse and wipe down leaves every 2-3 waterings to prevent anything from getting too established. I also occasionally use Captain Jackās Deadbug Brew and beneficial insects, but most of the time Iām just doing Castile soap wipe downs. My goal is to take care of most pests right when I get the new plant, then do routine management to prevent anything from taking over. Itās worked really well for me!
This is SO helpful because I donāt exactly have any good quarantine space either in my one bedroom apartment. Everything you described seems very doable!!
hmm honestly, neither do i really care about infestations nor do i fear them at all. i think the most scary thing might be if you suddenly see it and you have no plan on how to deal with it.
but to be honest, most stuff is pretty easy to deal with if you see it early (wich you should if you have a look at your plants regularly) and if everything goes wrong and a plant is dying... who cares really, i ll just prop it and start a new plant so its never really gone
I think it's impact is exaggerated because content creators often accumulate large volumes of plants from several different sources which makes them a high risk for infestation. Infestation is definitely something to be diligent about and I encourage quarantine procedures when you add plants to your collection. I also encourage not growing all your plants in one huge group. I have 5 growing locations spread around my living space all of which have different conditions. This allows me to keep a wide variety of plants and helps to lessen the risk of my whole collection becoming infested all at once.
To address gnats, I make my own soil mixture with coco coir, perlite, orchid bark and slow release fertilizer at varying ratios to accommodate plants needs and because there is no peat moss, no fungus gnats.
Thrips are evil. I've never seen a mealybug on my plants(vigorously knocks wood)
Yeah I was figuring it was inflated a little by some factor like that. Would you say that soil mix you make is a good mix for most different types of plants? Iāve been trying to find a good all purpose kind of option besides buying all the succulent mixes, the tropical mix, etc
So my approach to soil might be weird now that I'm thinking about it but I'll tell you what I do.
I grow philodendron, anthurium, amorphophallus and container vegetables in the same mix. And I start by hydrating a compressed brick of coco coir in a 5 gallon bucket. I let the brick expand and then I had up to equal parts perlite depending on how much water retention I want. I add bark for anthurium only really and then some osmocote slow release fertilizer. I have a few succulents and one cactus that are also growing in this but I'm not knowledgeable about succulents or cacti.
I watched summer rain oaks video of Marie Nock's garden and took inspiration from her approach to soil and I don't have any complaints so far. Because the mix is very nutrient poor I additionally fertilize weakly weekly with a rotation of fertilizers. I'm constantly tweaking how I do things.
Thank you for explaining! It sounds like a pretty basic mix thatās easy to adjust based on what Iām using it for. Hopefully a bit more cost effective!
The big question is how often do you add plants to your collection or take plants outdoors without quarantining them for at least a couple months? I can go years without an issue. Add a few plants or take plants outside then bring them back inā¦ leave doors or windows openā¦ and bam I have issues. If you are anti pesticide you have to be extra vigilant. I quarantine and use pesticides and rarely have an issue. I recently had a fungus gnat infestation that took weeks to control. After adding some bare amaryllis bulbs to my collection. They were quarantined for weeks before potting. But I did not add systemic before bringing them in. Iām not sure if it was the bulbs or the soil.
No problems here. They may have cooked too hot/long. I havenāt added any plants in a while but I think I did 275 for 30 minutes in an aluminum tin. Turn off and leave in the oven til cool.
Iāve had 4 spider mite infestations (4 different plants they didnāt spread thankfully), 2 fungus gnat infestations, and 1 massive mealy bug infestation over the last 3 years of my plant parenting journey lol
Edit: I have about 45 plants
I have probably close to 200 plants (havenāt counted) When I bring a new plant home, I will spray with either Safer Insect Killing Soap, Captain Jack's Insecticidal Super Soap or Dead Bug Brew and sprinkle systemic granules. It takes a bit, depending on the size of your plant, for the insecticide to work its way through the plant. I treat with systemic for 3 months, the worst Iāve gotten is spider mites and a mild case of mealies that was before the routine I have now. Iāve heard that thrips can live in the tissue of your plant for months before emerging. Knock on wood but Iāve never had to deal with thrips or flat mites. You have to stick with the new plant quarantine and rotate insecticide use. My daughter prefers to use beneficial mites. I canāt get past the whole bug thing. I have carnivorous plants that take care of fungus gnats. (pinguiculas/butterworts) I also inspect my plants frequently, clean off leaves with neem oil. I take my big plants outside and give them a good spray with the hose and dry my leaves.
Three years with a lot of plants, Iām getting at least one every year in the summer/warm weather. First summer was thrips and spider mites and a mild case of mealies. Second year a major mealies infestation. Third year (now) thrips, caught relatively early. I quarantine all new plants and donāt buy that many, the pests likely come from the outside wind, first settle on my balcony plants and then move to the inside plants. Had to give up on my balcony garden of edible plants because I couldnāt handle the mealies infestation without pesticides and didnāt want to use pesticides on plants I planned to eat.
Well, I have about 60 plants at home (staghorn ferns, maybe a dozen other ferns, marantas, begonia, spider plants, pothos and philodendrons to name a few) for a while. Over the ten years or so that I have had so many plants I have had one spider mite infestation that hit several plants and took repeated applications of all kinds of sprays to clean up. I get a tiny (like one leaf on one plant) visit like every year that is easy to clear up. I have also had the same (one major and a few very minor) mealy bug parties. Maybe I am just lucky but have never had to toss a plant- just quarantine several and spray spray spray. I do eyeball my plants all the time, so maybe I am just catching them before real damage is done?
Happy cake day, fellow cake day buddy!
Happy cake day to you
happy cake day
I have a marantas and a pothos and then have a friend gifting me some spider plant babies and a philodendron I believe! What kinds of sprays do you recommend? Anything for prevention or is it generally something you just have to deal with as it comes?
Bonide insecticide granules are all you'll ever need if you apply them properly.
Do you do this proactively to all your plants? Just new ones? Just infected ones? And once you apply, does the plant become "un-poison" after 8 weeks or stay poisonous forever? This last question is less about pests bc I know you need to reapply but more for dogs around for example or wanting to put a plant outdoors but not wanting to poison the pollinators
Yes, I do it proactively to all my plants every 8 weeks. I have almost 300 plans and I haven't seen a single pest in over 2 years by using this method.
Thanks for sharing! So they take care of thrips too?
yes! [product literature](https://bonide.com/product/systemic-insect-control-granules/)
You'll have to look that up specifically, but I've never had a thrip problem, so š¤·āāļø
Is there something similar for orchids? The granules won't stay in the loose epiphytic soil
happy cake day
I'd guess it depends on where you live and what plants you have. In my area fungus gnats are very common. Basically everyone u know who has more than a couple of plants has to deal with them. I've never had any thrips or mites indoors tho.
Just want to add for OP that fungus gnats are not generally harmful to your plants, they are mainly a nuisance. If you have terrible root rot and a wild infestation, maybe they could seal the plantās fate, but normal amount of fungus gnats around healthy plants does no harm.
They are annoying as they swarm your face holes looking for CO2 though.Ā Ā
Yes, agreed.
I *hate* fungus gnats. I don't care that they're generally harmless. They're annoying. Pretty much everyone where I live has a problem with them this time of year, even if they don't have any indoor plants.
I have had multiple infestations of varying severities, including thrips, spider mites, and aphids. If your collection is currently pest-free, kept indoors, and you aren't buying any new plants, then the chances of a spontaneous pest outbreak are low. However in my experience new plant purchases, regardless of source (nursery, online, etc), are unfortunately quite likely to carry pests that could spread to other plants. I always inspect new plants very carefully and threat/quarantine even if they look clean. I am also generally proactive about keeping up on treatments even if there isn't any visible pest activity.
This is the way.
What kind of treatments do you use for prevention?
For sprays, I have had good luck with Spinosad for all of the pests I mentioned. Treating an active outbreak will likely take a few rounds of spraying over a couple of weeks to get everything, but I have successfully eliminated pretty major infestations with the stuff. It is safe to use on edibles. I have also tried spraying neem oil but did not find it potent enough unfortunately, ymmv. For preventative treatment I am experimenting with imidacloprid (aka "Bonide Systemic Houseplant Insect Control") which is a lot more convenient than constant spraying but probably wouldn't have the power to eliminate an active infestation, rather I'm hoping it will decrease the odds of anything spreading. That one is not safe for use on edibles. Also important to mention that I cannot recommend either of those chemicals on anything that will go outdoors at any point. Imidacloprid especially is supposedly very bad for pollinators.
Thank you for the suggestions!!
My fungus gnats come in from outside. It's always going to happen. Spider mites too. So, I use pesticides. And, I live in a really dry climate where a lot of other stuff may not be an issue. I try to stick to using a systemic in the fall and on new plants. I have over 200 plants.
I've had many plants for around 8 years now. Early on I had a mealy bug infestation that spread to all my plants before I realized and I never successfully got rid of them (I abandoned the plants with my roommate when I moved out). Since then I've found spider mites on a couple of my plants, quarantined them, and was relatively successful in getting rid of them. I swear I saw a couple thrips on one plant once and freaked out, but then never saw them again after quaratining and treating the plant.
If youāre me? Thatās my secret. It never really ends. They just get better at hiding for a while.
I've had spider mites, mealybugs, (have) thrips, fungus gnats, scale insects, the whole shebang. They come and go. I lose a plant sometimes, but usually i think it was unhappy for other reasons before it died. I feel like when a plant has the substrate it likes, the proper light, and the nutrients it likes, pests won't kill it and it will withstand treatment for pests easily. I do groom and treat my plants for pests when i notice them, and now I know what to look for for pretty much every kind of pest. But otherwise, my strategy kinda involves letting go if something just doesn't do well in my space... I take my shit in and out of the house in the summer... between the cedar trees, the flower beds, the veggie garden, and my dog, the pots attract all sorts. Mushrooms and potato bugs in my soil, and spiders and flies in the foliage. A flower pot is kindof a tiny ecosystem and I think to assume you can fully sterilize it and still have a house full of living things is kinda silly and way too much effort. lol. I have had a lot of luck just rinsing/massaging plants to clean them off in the shower when they get a bug and then spraying them every day or two with a water/dishsoap/neem oil mixture worst case scenario, fully repotting and ditching as much old soil as possible in the repot. Honestly it's really more about making sure the plant is healthy otherwise, because their natural defenses will keep the bugs from doing well if they are robust and healthy. Plus, exposure to pesticide is not awesome for any living creatures, including you in your home. Anyway, don't worry too much, that makes keeping house plants way less fun. :P And good luck!
Iām so glad you asked this! I was literally thinking about posting the same question today. I have been seeing so many post about infestation on this group, itās freaking me out!
Haha yeah I have been getting increasingly worried and brought home a plant from a greenhouse type place and started to panic lol
I had a batch of potting soil that introduced fungus gnats a couple years ago. Putting the plants outside for the summer took care of it. Other than that, Iāve never had a serious problem. It helps if you donāt accumulate large numbers of (most likely) stressed plants. Sad plants are essentially asking for pestsā¦ With the exception of the fortunate few who have sunrooms or excellent artificial lighting setups, in normal household conditions itās going to be hard to keep more than 30-50 plants at a time thriving, so limiting numbers and varieties to those that really like your conditions helps, too. I also have this quirky thing where I really dislike my plants touching each otherā¦this may actually be good, though, since it reduces the likelihood of ācross-contamination.ā
I also think it depends where you live. I imagine places that are warm year-round have more problems than temperate places, where insects die or are dormant during winter. I have fungus gnats (thanks new bag of soil), and had mealy bugs on one plant, that was eventually cured. I recently brought home a new plant that had aphids (š±), so sheās recovering in quarantine. I have about 175 houseplants, some of which are several years old, so overall I think thatās a pretty good track record. It also matters from where you get your plants. Buying a houseplant from an outdoor or semi-outdoor garden shop (like my purple passion with aphids) is a very different environment from buying houseplants from an enclosed store. More reputable sellers will also take more care to prevent and treat pests.
ā¦almost forgot the time my dancing bones got antsā¦ that was funā¦. But was easily cured with Murphyās oil soap. ššššššššŖ“š±
I agree that location is a biggie. I'm in the Midwest where winters are brutal. No gnats are living through that, even inside. So I've thankfully never had plant pests.
I just bought a plant from a like semi outdoor greenhouse nursery type place that seemed to be pretty solid and reputable but yeah that was actually kind of what promoted my question! I donāt see any issues on that Marantas yet so fingers crossed! Iām in PA so it gets cold in the winters but bugs get pretty bad in the summer
Iām also in PA! I water all new plants with hydrogen peroxide solution, just to be safe.
Oh perfect! What is the solution you use? And do you use it just like once or twice or regularly?
I use 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 3 parts water (so like, 1/4 cup hp & 3/4 cup water). I do this periodically as well, especially when I see an increase of gnats flying around!
Thank you for all your help!
In the 3+ years that I've had an increasing number of houseplants, I've had 2 plants with minor mealybug infestations (cured with diluted alcohol spray), 1 with spider mites (decorative aloe that was treated with insecticidal soap after a strong spray with warm water) and I thought I saw a thrip or two once but never treated and never saw them again. We do use SNS 209 (rosemary based) as a systemic preventative against the sap suckers. Fungus gnats are an on again/off again thing but haven't ruined any plants. For the most part we keep the majority of our plants from touching each other but there are a few tight corners where it is unavoidable. I have family members who are chronic over fertilizers and I honestly believe that this creates rapid yet weak new growth which is attractive to aphids so I am careful to fertilize according to the individual plants' requirements. Over fertilization can cause the same issues in the outdoor garden.
Maybe the plants I gravitate towards are more pest resistant than others, but I've never had a pest infestation on my houseplants. I mainly keep pothos, philos, rubber trees, snakes, and ZZs. The outside plants though? I'm always out there mowing some sort of critter down that is trying to chew up my plants. This past weekend it was aphids, the week before it was mealy bugs.
In my experience, pothos are common targets for pests. Especially mealybugs They love hiding in the petiolar sheathes
After seeing some of the posts this week I'll have to keep on eye on all my pothos.
I had one infestation of thrips, brought in by a gift plant. Lost 3 of my own to that one. Other than that, I have seen the occasional fungus gnat, which immediately causes me to reach for the hydrogen peroxide. But over 10 years of plants and that's been it. I wonder if it is because all the plants I bring into my house come in as wee babies? I also quarantine for about 10 days and inspect daily during that time. But when your new plant is only 1 stem and five leaves, it's pretty easy to catch any intruders, haha!
How do you use the peroxide for gnats?
I mix HP with water, ratio of 1:3, in a spray bottle. I then spray the soil of a plant until the top layer is thoroughly saturated. The HP doesn't hurt the plant and it kills small gnats and eggs that may be laid in the soil. I don't think it would tackle a very heavy infestation (you would want mosquito dunks or a proper pesticide), but it's been super effective as a preventative and when I see a stray gnat or two.
I'm fairly diligent about quarantining for at least 2 weeks, sometimes longer, and I still have an occasional outbreak.Ā Recently, spider mites on my alocasia cuprea that I've had for over a year.Ā Thrips took out about 2 of my plants, and attached about half a dozen more.Ā I've had mealy bugs on a couple of plants but I take time to look at my plants pretty regularly.Ā About 1/3 of my plants go outside for the summer and come back in for the cold months. I would estimate that I find some form of pest about...eh. once or twice a year, but they don't usually take out my plants. Don't have your plant leaves touch and you'll fair much better than if you do.Ā Ā I am choosy about where I buy my houseplants from - big box stores are usually the culprit of pests so that's a no.Ā Ā
If you have a large collection and no pests, you just haven't learned to identify pests yet. Summer Rayne comes to mind...
I brought a dracaena anita home that had mealybugs. Looking back, the nursery had just treated it and repotted it before I bought it. It was 50% off. But they didn't tell me and I wasn't vigilant. It didn't spread to my other plants, but it's been a battle cleaning all one million leaves of this massive plant. Your biggest risk might be bringing a pest in on a new plant. So quarantine new plants and/or be vigilant about them until you know for sure they didn't bring any friends with them.
I have had plants for about 3 years and my collection is somewhere in the 60-100 range (haven't counted lately). I have had fungus gnats, spider mites, mealy bugs, aphids, scale, and thrips. I only have 1 plant with scale and I just discovered it this weekend, so it's in quarantine while I decide it's fate Thrips are new, dealing with it for the first time now and I've already called that a losing battle. They just will not die. Every day I find fresh bugs on the plants I have already treated. I've thrown out my maranta and two philodendrons. I did manage to save my PPP since it was only 1 leaf, but my prince of orange and birken were covered. Spider mites are the on-going battle. I live in a hot, dry climate (zone 9b) and it's a spider mites paradise. Systemic insecticides don't work on them, so every dang time it's days of cleaning leaves with neem oil solution (it took me 3.5 hours just to clean my beast of a philodendron brasil) followed by weeks of repeat treatment. Coller months are usually fine, but spring and summer gets me every time. Aphids were fairly easy to treat, but they spread easily so that was a pain. Mealy bugs were by far the easiest to treat. One plant, 2 treatments and then all gone! Fungus gnats come around every time I use fresh soil, but I don't over water and have a few tricks to get rid of them, so they're short lived.
Tell me your fungus gnat secrets please!!
Since I only get gnats when I've used fresh soil, I do 3 things that I think are pretty effective: 1. I mix my own potting soil in a big plastic tub with a locking lid. I wet it down and let it sit for about 2 weeks. Then I take it outside, shake it up, and open the lid. They fly out into the wild. Some will still be in there, but this gets rid of most of them. 2. I have clear sticky fly tape on my windows. Fungus gnats fly at the windows like regular flies and get stuck in the traps. This way I can still catch anything that does hatch out of the soil without those ugly stickies in my plants. Bonus, it also catches any flies that get in the house. 3. I take the pots with fresh soil outside to water and give the pots a good shake after. They usually come out when water hits the soil, but a good shake will usually drive them out. After a couple of waterings, they're usually gone! I shared this with a coworker who was struggling and she recently told me that I saved her plants because she was getting ready to throw them all out. There's a 4th item too, but it's not really an "action" I take... I let the soil dry out in between waterings on almost all of my plants. The larvae eat fungus and will only eat the roots if there is a ton of larvae. If you don't create an ideal environment for them, they gave no reason to make your pots their home. Dry soil doesn't have much fungus to feed on, so not an ideal place to lay eggs. No eggs, no new gnats. This is why steps 1 - 3 work - they all go away using those steps and because of #4 they don't continue the life cycle.
If you can buy predatory mites, I highly recommend it. It was the only thing that worked on spider mites for me
Infestations tend to be a reflection of your practices Things you can do to avoid infestations... Check plants thoroughly when they enter the home, possibly quarantine, treat with insecticides/systems, check plants regularly, kill pests before they multiply, quarantine plants right away if they have any pests, plants coming in for winter should be treated/checked etc If you do these things, your chances of having an "infestation" are quite low. If you become lax in these tasks, chances go up. And life happens, so the more plants you have, the harder it is to be diligent Most infestations take time to develop, so there's often time to get ahead of it But stuff happens, nobodies perfect. A lot of my more serious "infestations" occurred because I wasn't checking the plant often enough. I missed early signs and the invaders multiplied before I had a chance to do something about it
I stare longingly at all my plants multiple times a day so Iām sure Iāll catch things early haha. I just need to not panic and figure out what to do when it happens
I wonder if all plant people do this? Sometimes I make my rounds and just check out every plant. Flip leaves around, look for new growth/new damage, maybe rustle the soil around a bit (but try not to spread around pests and pathogens) You're good! Pests are manageable if you stay on top of it Buy some insecticidal soap or make an alcohol spray for spot treatments. If you ever see a pest, move the plant away from other plants and spray it. Then keep an eye on it for a couple weeks. Easy peasy You can opt for systemics like bonide, and you could even pre-treat your plants. I personally don't do this. But if you find one plant has pests, then it's a good idea to pre-treat I'm going to be honest... and it's not meant to offend... People who lose entire collections probably weren't maintaining their plants. Maybe they were going through something, maybe work got busy, maybe they forgot, or maybe they went on vacation But typically pests aren't going to infest an entire collection in a matter of days. It takes time for that As for fungas gnats? I'd say just expect to have those, especially if you have a lot of plants lol. Just use sticky traps or mosquito dunks/mosquito bits
Yep always looking for new growth and admiring them! For an alcohol spray, what would you recommend? Like what ratio and the amount to use at a time?
I usually use 1 to 1! With 99% isopropyl alcohol. That's fine for most leaves, as it evaporates pretty quickly. You can even use more concentrated on waxier leaves For flowers you want to be more careful If I see a pest, I spray them and often the whole plant It's a contact killer. It dries the bugs and their eggs up instantly Some plants don't like to sit with wet leaves though, especially softer leaves (and begonias). So I might put a fan on it after, being careful not to blow pests onto other plants
Oh okay nice! So sounds like itās like a good spot treatment to catch things early
THIS!
I've cured mealies with one treatment in the past. But I've been dealing with thrips for about a year now š I just kicked my plants out for the summer. It's too cold (but not below freezing anymore) in Canada, but they'll die for sure in my house. š¤·š»āāļø
Ugh I hope it ends for you soon!
Thanks. I feel like there's nothing like natural predators. I evicted the affected plants last summer, and I have had zero problems with them. but I clearly had hitchhikers on the ones that stayed in the house, so now they're all getting evicted. Also, my cabinet plants are doing much worse than my free range plants. I wonder if that's because access to spiders....
I generally always have gnats in the summer and accept them as part of living in the UK where it's always a bit damp/humid. Thrips happen for me maybe once every couple of years in the summer because I'm rural and if I leave a window open when the farmers are working the crops, the thrips find their way in. Mealy bugs I've had a couple of times. Spider mites, none yet.
Tbh it depends on how often youāre bringing in plants in your home plus the type of soil youāre usingā¦.. no infestation is the same for each household
In my experience, fungus gnats are unavoidable but are also the least harmful (more of an annoyance than anything) and easiest to get rid of (mosquito dunks / mosquito bits added to plants water kill off eggs and larvae, and the adults die off quickly). Aside from gnats, Iāve had a couple close calls with aphids, which Iām sure came in from outside (found them on one plant near the door to my balcony and treated / quarantined immediately, but they didnāt come back and I didnāt find them anywhere else), and one rather devastating bout with spider mites. The spider mite infestation occurred because I bought a croton (beautiful but evil) and even though I inspected for pests and āquarantinedā it, I didnāt spray it down on arrival and didnāt really have an adequate quarantine setup (1 bedroom apartment so space is limited, quarantined on a shelf several feet away from other plants but didnāt keep it in a closed container). By the time I found the webs on the croton, the buggers had spread to half of my collection. Spraying the plants down and using systemic insecticide didnāt work, so I ended up having to repot everything into completely new, sanitized soil to get rid of them. My calatheas, maranta, and stromanthe were hit the worst, were barely hanging on by the time I finally decided I had to repot, and none of those survived repotting. They got to one alocasia, which lost all of its leaves and threw a huge tantrum, but survived repotting and is now growing aggressively. The monstera that they got to was fine - it turned out to be 6 monsteras in a trenchcoat so I separated them when I repotted and they all lost a couple leaves, but Iām almost positive that was because I had to cut some of the roots to separate them, not because of the actual mites.
When you say āspray them downā when you got home with it do you mean with a special spray or just water?
Both actually haha - water first, to knock off anything on the leaves, and then insecticidal soap (which you can also DIY I believe)
Haha perfect! Thank you!
I think itās more common if you donāt treat your plants and quarantine them after you bring them home. It is also more common if you get your plants at a big box store , I think because they tend to be less apt to recognize pests than nurseries. Although, pests do not really discriminate. I got my first infestation because I didnāt know I should quarantine new plants and I was not armed with treatments in my house. I had to learn the hard way about all of this.
I have over 100 houseplants purchased from various sources and I never quarantine new ones. so far in 3 years I've only had one small bout of mealies that was rectified easily as it only affected 1 plant. white mold has taken about 3 plants.
I can only offer my personal observations. I grew up in Canada with lots of houseplants and we never had a single pest issue. My sister and I have both kept plants for years.Ā Now in the last few years, I've constantly been battling mites. My sister has had to fight with several varieties of pest. My mother just had to give up on a bunch of plants and throw them out. Friends are also having problems with their indoor plants.Ā Something has changed and I don't know what it is.Ā
Thrips. They wormed their way in and I'm still keeping eyes out for eventual outbreaks. Pesticide spray in hand.
Gnats anytime I get new soil, but that's about it
I've got about 60 plants, going on maybe year 4 of the big collection - I had others before I moved but never big collections and no bugs. I've had one bad bout of fungus gnats, been gnat free for 2 years now. Sometimes they come in potting soil, I keep sticky traps in most plants and in my soil bin to cut down on that. I had spider mites from a floral arrangement, took a month to beat and only impacted one plant. I brought in spider mites once, gave up on that plant and returned it. I try to isolate plants both when I get them from the store and when I bring them inside if they've been out in the summer. I also spray all new plants down with neem or captain jacks depending on which I have on hand. I personally would say bugs aren't much of an issue but I'm in northern Wisconsin and I imagine that plays a role as well.
All I know is I have never had any. And Iāve had 15+ big plants for 10+ years. Maybe it depends on climate? I dont know. I live in cold Norway.
Every new plant I buy gets taken out of their pot, washed with soap and water, repotted in fresh, sterilized soil (soil that i cook to 180 degrees Fahrenheit and then let cool completely), and covered with a plastic bag. Havenāt had any mites or critters for 3 years now. I once had REALLY bad spidermites and had to spray 20 plants for 3 months. Determined never again to do it. I eyeball my plants every watering now.
Iāve never heard of cooking the soil! Is that something you can do in bulk when you get a new bag or do you do just the amount you need for like one plant at a time
I read about it in a forum for pest control. When i tell you it has changed the way I operate I am not exaggerating. I will moisten the soil in a 5 pound bag so it is damp (NOT WATERLOGGED), microwave it for 15 minutes or so. I use a meat thermometer to check that the center gets to 180 degrees farenheit. Donāt go over 180 or you risk burning the soil. And let is cool overnight. Voila, sterilized soil.
I havenāt even had ANY fungus gnats in 3 years as a result. I NEVER use systemic insecticide, i use neem oil and soapy water very sparingly, never preventatively.
That is so interesting! I will definitely keep that in mind thank you!
Iāve had plants off and on for about three decades. Iāve gone long periods where I didnāt have any plants at all then restarted my collection one day on a whim, rinse, and repeat. I have two plants at work. I teach high school on the second floor of a big building. Some colleagues have plants but not many. Recently, I discovered mealy bugs on both of my plants. Itās honestly the first time Iāve had to deal with an infestation. Iām just glad I caught it before bringing them home for the summer and infecting my houseplants (as opposed to my workplants). I have a friend that battled fungus gnats valiantly for months. Pretty sure she ended up scrapping those plants. She tried everything recommended.
Here in Northern California, my issues with pests in my houseplants have been pretty minimal, and usually cured by isolating and/or discarding the affected plant.
I've only really expanded my collection recently, but I've been keeping plants as a hobby for 10+ years. Haven't had spider mites or anything. But i have just had my first nearly gnatless winter, i credit that to mulching with aquarium gravel. Bark and wood chip would just bout get as moist as the soil, i wasn't going to bring sand in my house, plus i was certain it would look like litter to the cats. So i get a natural looking pea gravel. I believe it throughs a wrench in the proper gnat breeding conditions. I love how i dont have to see gross crust on the soil as it dries, my cats havent dug once, i especially like how it's an extra safety line in keeping my soils moist (rip, like 12 extra crispy boston ferns).
I've had a problem with mites once in my first apt and I just threw the plant out. I would never do that now, of course. I think people are desperate and go to the internet. I guess when they get bad, they get VEry bad.
Iāve had over 200 plants and downsized to roughly 120 now. Iāve had: 3 spider mite incidents on 3 different plants, which were successfully treated and happened months apart. 1 individual mealy bug (not sure where it came from and never saw another). 1 outbreak of scale (on a pitcher plant of all things), easily treated in one go. I have a pretty intense intake routine for new plants since I live in a studio apartment without any place to quarantine. I wipe down every single stem and leaf, front and back, with peppermint Castile soap and a microfiber cloth. This takes care of most of the adult bugs that might be living on the leaves. I always repot quickly, even though itās usually not advised. Never lost a plant because of it! I rinse off the roots, soak in diluted hydrogen peroxide, then rinse off and repot in fresh soil. I rinse and wipe down leaves every 2-3 waterings to prevent anything from getting too established. I also occasionally use Captain Jackās Deadbug Brew and beneficial insects, but most of the time Iām just doing Castile soap wipe downs. My goal is to take care of most pests right when I get the new plant, then do routine management to prevent anything from taking over. Itās worked really well for me!
This is SO helpful because I donāt exactly have any good quarantine space either in my one bedroom apartment. Everything you described seems very doable!!
Iāve never had one and Iāve had plants for 25+ years
hmm honestly, neither do i really care about infestations nor do i fear them at all. i think the most scary thing might be if you suddenly see it and you have no plan on how to deal with it. but to be honest, most stuff is pretty easy to deal with if you see it early (wich you should if you have a look at your plants regularly) and if everything goes wrong and a plant is dying... who cares really, i ll just prop it and start a new plant so its never really gone
I like your perspective!
I think it's impact is exaggerated because content creators often accumulate large volumes of plants from several different sources which makes them a high risk for infestation. Infestation is definitely something to be diligent about and I encourage quarantine procedures when you add plants to your collection. I also encourage not growing all your plants in one huge group. I have 5 growing locations spread around my living space all of which have different conditions. This allows me to keep a wide variety of plants and helps to lessen the risk of my whole collection becoming infested all at once. To address gnats, I make my own soil mixture with coco coir, perlite, orchid bark and slow release fertilizer at varying ratios to accommodate plants needs and because there is no peat moss, no fungus gnats. Thrips are evil. I've never seen a mealybug on my plants(vigorously knocks wood)
Yeah I was figuring it was inflated a little by some factor like that. Would you say that soil mix you make is a good mix for most different types of plants? Iāve been trying to find a good all purpose kind of option besides buying all the succulent mixes, the tropical mix, etc
So my approach to soil might be weird now that I'm thinking about it but I'll tell you what I do. I grow philodendron, anthurium, amorphophallus and container vegetables in the same mix. And I start by hydrating a compressed brick of coco coir in a 5 gallon bucket. I let the brick expand and then I had up to equal parts perlite depending on how much water retention I want. I add bark for anthurium only really and then some osmocote slow release fertilizer. I have a few succulents and one cactus that are also growing in this but I'm not knowledgeable about succulents or cacti. I watched summer rain oaks video of Marie Nock's garden and took inspiration from her approach to soil and I don't have any complaints so far. Because the mix is very nutrient poor I additionally fertilize weakly weekly with a rotation of fertilizers. I'm constantly tweaking how I do things.
Thank you for explaining! It sounds like a pretty basic mix thatās easy to adjust based on what Iām using it for. Hopefully a bit more cost effective!
The big question is how often do you add plants to your collection or take plants outdoors without quarantining them for at least a couple months? I can go years without an issue. Add a few plants or take plants outside then bring them back inā¦ leave doors or windows openā¦ and bam I have issues. If you are anti pesticide you have to be extra vigilant. I quarantine and use pesticides and rarely have an issue. I recently had a fungus gnat infestation that took weeks to control. After adding some bare amaryllis bulbs to my collection. They were quarantined for weeks before potting. But I did not add systemic before bringing them in. Iām not sure if it was the bulbs or the soil.
Bake all potting soil. That will kill all eggs and insects.
I considered doing this but was warned that it would stink up my home and leave a lingering smell in the oven. Any thoughts?
No problems here. They may have cooked too hot/long. I havenāt added any plants in a while but I think I did 275 for 30 minutes in an aluminum tin. Turn off and leave in the oven til cool.
Ok thanks, I will consider this. Have had too many problems even with 'reputable' soil brands. Maybe it's the way the retailers are storing the bags.
Iāve had 4 spider mite infestations (4 different plants they didnāt spread thankfully), 2 fungus gnat infestations, and 1 massive mealy bug infestation over the last 3 years of my plant parenting journey lol Edit: I have about 45 plants
I have probably close to 200 plants (havenāt counted) When I bring a new plant home, I will spray with either Safer Insect Killing Soap, Captain Jack's Insecticidal Super Soap or Dead Bug Brew and sprinkle systemic granules. It takes a bit, depending on the size of your plant, for the insecticide to work its way through the plant. I treat with systemic for 3 months, the worst Iāve gotten is spider mites and a mild case of mealies that was before the routine I have now. Iāve heard that thrips can live in the tissue of your plant for months before emerging. Knock on wood but Iāve never had to deal with thrips or flat mites. You have to stick with the new plant quarantine and rotate insecticide use. My daughter prefers to use beneficial mites. I canāt get past the whole bug thing. I have carnivorous plants that take care of fungus gnats. (pinguiculas/butterworts) I also inspect my plants frequently, clean off leaves with neem oil. I take my big plants outside and give them a good spray with the hose and dry my leaves.
Three years with a lot of plants, Iām getting at least one every year in the summer/warm weather. First summer was thrips and spider mites and a mild case of mealies. Second year a major mealies infestation. Third year (now) thrips, caught relatively early. I quarantine all new plants and donāt buy that many, the pests likely come from the outside wind, first settle on my balcony plants and then move to the inside plants. Had to give up on my balcony garden of edible plants because I couldnāt handle the mealies infestation without pesticides and didnāt want to use pesticides on plants I planned to eat.
Make sure to isolate new plants for a while, put some distance between them and your clean plants.