Identifying indoor plant pests is the first stage in controlling them.
Indoor plants grown in the home are vulnerable to pest infestations, especially if they do not receive the right amount of light and water. Some houseplant pests are simply a nuisance, while others can disfigure and even kill houseplants. They key to controlling indoor plant pests is to quickly identify them when they appear and eliminate them as soon as possible. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Aphids are a common pest on indoor plants.
Keep indoor plants in optimal conditions to prevent insect infestation. Always keep them in a spot where they receive the right amount of light and at the right temperature.
2. Clean the leaves of houseplants regularly with a soft, damp cloth to remove dirt. Use a mister to clean plants with small or delicate leaves. Water indoor plants once the surface of their compost dries out, and never let it dry out completely.
3. Inspect indoor plants regularly for signs of pest infestation. Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects up to 1/6 inch long. Mealy bugs are up to 1/4 inch long and are white with a woolly appearance. Scale insects are between 1/16 to 1/2 inch in diameter and look like raised bumps on the surface of plant stems and leaves. Spider mites are almost invisible to the naked eye but leave fine webbing on leaves and cause speckled leaves. Whitefly are tiny, moth-like, flying insects up to 1/10 inch long.
4. Clean off light infestations of insect pests such as mealy bugs, scale or aphids with a soft cloth dipped solution made up of 1/2 tsp. of detergent in a quart of lukewarm water. Kill any remaining insects by wiping them with a cotton swab or paintbrush dipped in rubbing alcohol.
5. Spray mite-infested plants with lukewarm water to dislodge mites and mist every day to increase humidity levels. Treat with a commercial miticide spray every 10 days until the mites disappear.
6. Spray whitefly-infested indoor plants with a product containing an insecticide or plant oil extract. Repeat the treatment three times at five-day intervals.
7. Discard any indoor plant with a serious pest problem that does respond to treatment. This will prevent the infestation spreading to your other plants.
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