One of the significant annoyances an indoor gardener could face is finding bugs on much-loved house plants. In this article, you will know how to get rid of Bugs in Houseplants.
Understanding how to get rid of bugs in houseplant bugs is tremendously frustrating, and it can also be very challenging to control houseplant pests.
Ugh! Do you know what’s more frustrating?
Indoor plant bugs can speedily kill the plant too.
It might be possible that your indoor plant looks perfectly OK one day, and the very next day, it started to expire, and you failed to find how to save its life.
It’s also possible that you knew you had infested plant, but you didn’t know what to do with it, and you threw it out.
Indoor gardening is one of the most favorite hobbies these days among citizens. If you do not have enough outdoor gardening space, you have to manage space indoor to enjoy sparkling flowers and fresh air.
Don’t be hopeless, my mate; there are several ways to control houseplant’s pests; we can encounter these stubborn bugs.
Wait, What? My Houseplants Have Bugs!?
I understand; it seems surprising. However, this issue is very natural, how an indoor plant is becoming riddled with pests.
Agree in me, most of my life, I remember growing houseplants; therefore, I deal with my considerable number. It is not pleasant. However, you will likely get to contend with bugs unless you have houseplants at a particular stage. It only goes to the field.
What Are Houseplants Pests?
Houseplants pests are minute bugs that feed on stem, roots, or leaves. There are various types of bugs that can fill indoor plants.
One can fly, or some can creep on leaves, and even some of them don’t come into view to move. It’s more like a fungus.
They all are so annoying, apart from how they move around or even not.
Do You Want to Know the Common Houseplant Bugs?
Below is the list of some common houseplant bugs:
- Mealybugs
- Scale
- Fungus gnats
- Aphids
- Whiteflies
- Thrips
- Spider mites
You must carefully observe the kinds of bugs over-running your houseplants’ soil. For example, after deep watering, Gnats can be observed while one can see spider mites in dry, warm conditions.
If you successfully identified what’s infesting your potted plants, you will quickly eliminate the pests in no-time.
Why Does My Indoor Plant Have Bugs?
There are many fewer pests in the house than the outside since native species sometimes control houseplant bugs.
While the plant is likewise full of pests at any time of year, they are also susceptible in winter. And that is why.
Over the winter, potted plants are stagnant and are much more likely to be threatened by pests.
The progress of winter on a lot of houseplants in summer is slower and susceptible to pests.
Throughout winter, moisture levels in the house are also much lower, which is the ideal dumping ground for certain plant pests. Moreover, there’s no fresh air in your plants.
Why Are There Bugs in Houseplants?
There is no specific time when someone can infest a plant with bugs; they can see anytime during the year. But yes, they are more susceptible in the winter. Therefore, you must know how to get rid of bugs in houseplants.
Below are the reasons:
- Houseplants get inactive in winter, so pests can quickly attack them during this time of period
- Humidity levels are deficient in the house during winters, which is an accurate reproducing time for bugs. Additionally, your plants do not get enough fresh air.
- Winter growth on many house plants is comparatively weak than in summers, making them more defenseless to infestation.
From Where These Plants Bugs Comes from?
To get rid of these houseplant bugs, you must know where they come from.
Houseplant bugs are so small; they can appear from anywhere. We are going to mention few common ways a houseplant can become infested by silly bugs. You can study in detail to know where these bugs come from.
- New plants
- From an outside plant
- From fresh flowers
- Open doors and windows
- Bags of potting soil
How Can You Identify Main Houseplant Pests?
If you suspect that you have indoor plant bugs, below is a quick list to help you with plant pest identification.
If you see spider webs on your plant’s leaves or branches, it is a clear indicator of spider mites. Spider webs and small bugs on potted plants when you look carefully, you can also see tiny bugs on the webbing creeping nearby. Ah, Disgusting! There, you can finally learn to get rid of spider mites.
Whether there are tiny white bugs that seem like small bees that flicker across the plant any time, it is indeed upset (cough, cough), which suggests that your potted plant has whiteflies, little white moving bugs on domestic leaf tissue. It is how the whiteflies will get rid of.
Perhaps there are small, long, and thin bugs scattered on the leaf of your potted plants, tiny, slim black, brown, or green bugs with tipped tails? Those are thrips, Ack. There, you discover how to get rid of thrips.
On trees, flower buds or regrowth, groups of large, juicy brown, red, or green bugs. Small white particles or pebbles around the plant can indeed observe. These are all aphids, Gross. There, know how to get rid of aphids.
Strong marks or bald patches on the leaf or branches of houseplants, houseplant level marks or spots on the roots and leaf segments, which can quickly flake with a toe nail, a slippery material can indeed notice mostly on the leaf of houseplants or across the place where the plant sits.
Small bugs in houseplant plant roots. Do you see little black or white bugs in plant soil or gnats that move across your houseplants as honey bees? Yep, these are all gnats of fungi.
Unless there is white powder on plants that seem like cotton or fungus, it will have mealybugs, fuzzy white material on houseplant roots, and leaf segments. You may also find fuzzy leaves on houseplants, or even a slippery substance can fill the space across the plant.
Why You Should Use Natural Pesticides On Houseplants
I cannot suggest the use of harmful plant chemicals. These poisonous substances aren’t just bad for health; they may not always destroy bugs from plants.
Over time, household bugs will increase the tolerance to it and avoid pesticides. That’s why all-natural approaches to pest control are relevant.
Until you start handling your plant, you must always be aware of the bug you interact with so that you are sure to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
Below is a few specific advice on whether they’re on the leaves or just on plants’ surfaces to eliminate any indoor plant pest. You can read more in detail about why you should use natural pesticides on houseplants.
How to Get Rid of Bugs in Houseplants Soil
In fertilizing soils, several kinds of houseplant bugs, particularly fungal gnats, can indeed be found. Therefore, just be sure to check the ground and process it if appropriate if you detect signs on your houseplants.
Here are tips and tricks about how to clear houseplant soil from pests.
- Consider removing and throwing back the top layer of the field. Then add fresh potting soil or fill with soil. A potential insect is seldom weak with a covered field such as sandy soil or just a synthetic surface covering.
- Soak the ground in houseplants with a synthetic chemical. We can use synthetic insecticide cleaner (I make my own using 1 tsp mild liquid soap to 1 liter of water). Or find a remedy for neem oil (which can work for systemic houseplant insect control). However, beware of overwatering your plant.
- Make sure that you water your house plants appropriately, never soil wet. Wet soil is not only harmful to plants but also bugs such as fungi. I advise you to use a low nutrient sprinkler system if you have issues with watering.
- In a bug-proof bag, keep your leftover potting soil; houseplant bugs do not survive without air. I choose a 5-gallon container with a close cover (this airtight seal lid is perfect).
How to Keep Bugs Out of Indoor Plants for Good
You are always careful in combating pests in trying to get rid of houseplant bugs. You can’t handle the plant once and assume all the bugs, nymphs, and eggs in the indoor plant are killed.
To remove them for sure, it may require many treatment options. Though, whenever you continue to treat a plant, check it and undergo treatment regularly until all fungus symptoms are away.
The far more prevalent houseplant bugs reproduce quite rapidly, and many treatment options are required to contain them and ultimately fully get rid of them.
How to Prevent Bugs in Houseplants?
You don’t just need them to return as you get rid of the pests on the houseplants, correct!?? Preventive pest control is the best and most reliable protection against every houseplant outbreak.
However, here are a little over ideas about holding pest-free and stable house plants for the longer run.
Instead of recycling, frequently wash and inspect containers and plant containers. You can clean them with paper towels or push them through the dishwasher if they are strong enough.
Monitor your plants for symptoms of indoor plant pests daily. Every day I water my plants, I usually do this.
Do not ever stop watering a plant only since it has an issue with a fungus. Overseeding will pressure an infected houseplant more, which may eventually destroy the plant.
To oversee plants, use new, clean organic potting soil, but never use plant material! Whether you’re overseeding a houseplant with no pests, it’s good to recycle the ground for the same plant in the container. However, for overseeding another plant, you will never recycle potting soil through one houseplant.
Anytime you introduce a new plant around, ensure you carefully check this for any indicators of pests. It is useful for a couple of weeks to separate new houseplants to ensure no problems come back.
Each time you need them, sterilize your pruning shears as well as other devices. You may clean them with soapy water, and between usage, soak them in soapy water.
Since treating a riddled plant, immediately clean your hands.
Ensure you patch them until getting them back inside during the decrease if you bring any houseplants somewhere for the summer. Before taking them indoors there, understand how to restore plants. Read more about how to prevent bugs in houseplants.
If you put any houseplants outside for the summer, make sure to correct them in advance bringing them back inside in the fall. Learn how to debug plants before bringing them indoors here.
FAQs About Controlling Houseplant Pests
Among the most commonly asked questions, I have around managing houseplant bugs are answered here. Upon going through this article and the FAQs, if you didn’t find the answer to your question, try asking it in the comments section below and I’ll reply to it ASAP.
Do Houseplants Attract Bugs?
Yes! Although pests are much more appealing to certain kinds of houseplants than anyone else is.
What Is Eating My Indoor Plants?
By squeezing out all the affected leaves, many houseplant pests feed on plants. As such, if you point out the flaws in the plate, or you consume bits of the leaf surface, then you’ll have to suspect a few other bugs.
To see whether you can figure out what happened, sift through the leaf. Anything other than that, to recognize the pests in your indoor plant, review the “Recognizing Typical Houseplant Bugs” section above.
