15 houseplant pests and ways to get rid of them naturally

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15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

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Page 1: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

Page 2: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

Whether you grow hydroponic plants or just a few houseplants, here is how to get rid of bugs indoors.

Page 3: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Aphids These tiny green bugs suck the sap out of plants. Damage: Tiny holes poked into leaves (usually new growth). Infestations will cause leaves to curl, wilt or turn yellow.Control: Use insecticidal soap on the top and bottom of leaves to protect plant.

Page 4: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• AntsCommon for container plants that are placed outside during summer and brought in for the winter.Damage: Ants in a potted plant may be a sign that you have aphids, mealybugs or scale. Ants won’t damage your plant although they are unwanted indoors.Control: If you still want to get rid of ants, dust the soil, plant and container with diatomaceous earth.

Page 5: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Earwigs These long, skinny insects with pincers on one end are more beneficial than harmful since they eat insect eggs and adult aphids. Damage: Earwigs also enjoy fruit and can eat holes in plant leaves.Control: Use a pot filled with hay to attract earwigs and release elsewhere or dust plants with diatomaceous earth to protect them.• What is diatomaceous earth?

Click this slide to learn more.

Page 6: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Fruit FliesThese tiny flies are often found hovering over fruit and plants.Damage: While they won’t cause any damage to your plants, they are quite the nuisance.Control: In a shallow bowl, mix 3 tbsp. of water and 3 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar (should be about 1” of liquid) with a few drops of dish soap. Gently swirl and place near the fruit fly infestation.

Page 7: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Gall Mites These translucent, tiny mites suck sap from plant leaves.Damage: Mostly harmless but infestations can cause leaf curling, rust and deformed buds. Control: If infestation affects plant growth, you can get rid of gall mites using a mixture of neem oil, pyrethrin and insecticidal soap.

Page 8: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• MealybugsFound in warmer clients, mealybugs are wingless, white cottony insects that suck sap out of plant tissue.Damage: Infestations can cause yellow and curling leaves. Mealybugs often leave sticky honeydew on plants.Control: Spray your plant’s leaves with insect killing soap.• Click here to learn more about Mealybugs.

Page 9: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Root AphidsThese microscopic, neutral-colored aphids suck the sap out of plant’s roots. Damage: Root aphids spread quickly and are usually unseen since they live under the soil. Plants will show nutrient deficiency problems (magnesium and iron) before collapsing.Control: Remove and destroy badly infested plants. Get rid of root aphids by spraying neem oil or an OMRI® approved pyrethrin product on the roots and soil of plants.

Page 10: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Red Spider Mites These tiny red mites can cause considerable damage to houseplants. Damage: Whitish-yellow mottling on leaves and sticky webs on plant. Spider mites suck sap from leaves.Control: Spray your plants with pyrethrin, insecticidal soap or neem oil before the infestation gets bad.• Click to view Safer® Brand’s 3-in-1 Garden Spray, which

protects your plants from disease and kills spider mites.

Page 11: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Russet MitesMicroscopic mites that are near invisible to the naked human eye. Damage: Often mistaken for nutritional deficiencies, russet mites don’t leave any webbing or secretions but do suck sap from plants (starting at the bottom). Control: At the first signs of mites, spray neem oil, soap and pyrethrin on the plant.• Click this slide to read about 24 other benefits and

uses for neem oil.

Page 12: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Scale InsectsScale looks like waxy brown bumps on leaves but the insects feed on plant sap. Damage: Scales are found on the undersides of leaves and stems. Infestations cause yellow leaves and slow plant growth.Control: Use insecticidal soap to help you remove and kill scale from your leaves.• Click this slide to learn more about scale.

Page 13: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• SpringtailThese whitish wingless insects live off of organisms in the soil and rotted plant life.Damage: Relatively harmless but springtails often nibble at a plant’s roots, stems and leaves that touch the soil.Control: Make sure your plant has good drainage and let it dry out between watering. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the soil (make sure it stays dry as DE won’t work when wet).

Page 14: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Thrip These common greenhouse pests are slender with either a yellow or black coloring. Damage: Thrips feed in large groups and can cause considerable damage together. They suck sap from plants which causes white patches on leaves and petals. Control: Dust diatomaceous earth on leaves and soil or spray with insecticidal soap.

Page 15: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• WhitefliesClosely related to aphids, whiteflies can usually be found in clusters on the underside of leaves.Damage: Whiteflies suck sap from plant leaves, which causes translucent circles in leaves.Control: Wipe leaves with insecticidal soap or spray the plant with neem oil.• What is insecticidal soap?

Click this slide to read more.

Page 16: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Woolly Aphids These white fluffy aphids coat shoots and the undersides of leaves. Damage: They suck sap and excrete honeydew which can make the plant have black sooty mold and cause leaf curling.Control: Natural predators (ladybugs and parasitic wasps) usually keep the wooly aphid population down but since your plant is inside, spray neem oil or insecticidal soap on infected plants.

Page 17: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

• Fungus GnatsThese tiny non-biting black flies feed and breed in the soil of plants.Damage: Fungus gnats larvae feed on plant roots, which could debilitate your plant.Control: Use an insecticidal soap to rinse or drench the soil of your potted plant to kill larvae.

Page 18: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

Most houseplant pest problems can be solved withNeem Oil,Insecticidal Soap,Pyrethrin, orDiatomaceous Earth.

Page 19: 15 Houseplant Pests and Ways to Get Rid of Them Naturally

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