How to get rid of plant bugs for good. It’s nature my plant mama’s. Houseplant pests will invade your indoor space and you’ll want to know these very important facts if you want to maintain some style of sanity. They do a fine job of teaching us what patience truly is. Confession: I didn’t have any in the beginning. I’ve tossed plants that could have been saved and started over by re-soiling pots that were just potted with fresh soil. The soil could be the culprit in many instances and so, now I just buy the less prone to gnats soil by Miracle Grow and it is fabulous.
HOW TO GET RID OF PLANT BUGS FOR GOOD
Okay, maybe for good is a little dramatic because any substance or change of atmosphere can cause unwanted bugs in and around your plants. The best piece of advice I can give is to remain calm. You may have already experienced the raise in blood pressure panic when you discovered something crawling all over your indoor plant. Take a deep breath. And, try to avoid tossing your plant. Many new plant lovers will get rid of their plants altogether and not even take being a plant hobbyist into consideration after finding bugs. It’ll be alright.
Some plants are less prone to attracting bugs and that’s amazing.
The key to not getting bugs is prevention:
- Do NOT bring new plants into the home and set them near your other plants
- Inspect plants you’re interested in at the nursery or store to see if any leaves are turning yellow, have holes in them, are browning, have damage of any sort, or bugs crawling in the soil and on the back of leaves
- Spray an insecticide or an all natural bug spray for the first few days
All Natural Bug Spray DIY
After discovering an infestation of spiders and ants at one point during my plant life journey, I dedicated a lot of time and money into different products and research. The Diatomaceous Earth is so good for the soil. I mix it into my fresh soil whenever I repot a new plant. They say you can concoct into a spray bottle to squirt the leaves but I find the white powder is still annoying because you have to constantly wash the leaves and spray again. We need to be able to spray something and walk away. Many brands on the market are excellent and work just lovely at removing household bugs on plants. However, it gets expensive especially if you have a lot of plants.
A quick and easy bug spray :
- Rosemary (or peppermint essential oil)
- Water
- Rubbing alcohol
Mix 1 teaspoon of alcohol, 6 drops of oil and top with water in a spray bottle to quickly spray your plants before bed. Any pest will die and you’ll need to wash the leaves with just cool water the following day. Repeat as necessary but don’t overdo it.
Getting Rid Of Plant Bugs For Good
As always change the soil if you plant has been infested with bugs. The most famous plant pests are:
- Mealy Bugs
- Fungus Gnats
- Spider Mites
- Aphids
- Scales
- Ghost Ants
I have yet to deal with all of these but have battled fungus gnats and spider mites. The most simplest way to get rid of these bugs is to stop watering your plants so much. Cinnamon sprinkled on the top of the soil will mask the gnats fast. The bug spray will zap the mites (any kind) and other plant bugs too.
It’s super easy to neglect looking closely to the leaves on your plants. Try to pay attention often to catch pests in action before it gets too late. That happens a lot and then the poor plant isn’t worth saving.
Foolproof Ways To Get Rid Of Plant Bugs Once And For All
- wash or wipe leaves with a damp cloth at least 1-2 times a month
- dry out the soil before watering’s
- bottom water
- use an all natural spray (just spray in the air around the plants for a quick preventative measure from time to time)
- change soil that needs to be (don’t let the plant sit in bad soil for years, change it out)
- cut off dead leaves and matter in the soil so bugs don’t have anything to feed off
- inspect your plants more often
- use essential oil diffusers
- keep plants off the ground
Some bugs are good for plants such as ladybugs. You can buy them online if you have an infestation in your plants and they will naturally take care of the problem.
How To Get Rid Of Bugs On Plants – Quick Tips
Stay calm and let nature do it’s thing. I would freak out at the first sign of a bug and I had to learn not to be that way if I was going to be in the plant business. It happens. It’s nature. Just roll with it! Are you following us on FB. Give us a like for more tips and pics. XO Victoria
