Indoor Plant Care 201: Dealing with Bugs
Of all the problems that can adversely affect the health of your houseplants, bugs are some of the most annoying and difficult to deal with. Just as you figure out the right combination of water, sunlight and plant food to make your green beauty thrive, it seems, along comes a whole colony of pests to start munching away on the leaves or flowers. Luckily, getting rid of these unwanted visitors can be easier than you might think.
Ruthann Spears is the manager of Cincinnati Parks' Krohn Conservatory, a vast campus of greenhouses housing horticultural displays ranging from tropical rainforests to deserts. She holds a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and has many years experience working with plants and flowers of all types. Her she offers some advice for dealing with houseplant-damaging pests:
- Don't rush to use chemicals.
Pests are a common plant problem, but it's a mistake to immediately reach for a harmful chemical pesticide to deal with it.
- Try a system of IPM.
At Krohn Conservatory, Spears uses a system called IPM. This stands for integrated pest management, and it involves using the smallest amount of pesticide possible.
- Give your plants a shower.
The first line of defense against bugs should be physical removal, not chemicals. One good method of physical insect removal is giving your plants a bath or a shower about once a month. Simply put them in the shower, turn the water on, let it run for about five or ten minutes.
- Remove bugs by hand.
As a next step, try knocking the bugs off the plant. You can also try hand washing the plants by wiping the insects and other pests off the leaves, flowers or stems.
- Prune away the infestation.
If it's a real bad infestation, you can cut off the infested part of the plant and throw it away.
- Try soap and water.
Chemicals should be used only as a last resort, and Spears recommends trying dish detergent instead of a commercial pesticide. Put a few drops of detergent in a cup of water and wipe the plant off with it. This will often get rid of the bugs and spare you from using harsher products that fill your home's air with poison and might harm both people and pets.
For more information about caring for plants, check out the following website:
Plant Care.com
www.plantcare.com
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