Growers face the trouble of bringing plants in without bugs. This is not an easy thing to do even when purchasing the plants from reputable wholesale nurseries. After placing your houseplants on the patio or porch to enjoy sunlight during summer, the last thing you don’t want is to end up bringing pests in along with the nourished plants. There are a few precautions you can take to ensure that you never bring in bugs.
The below are also tips you need to consider when purchasing houseplants from plantscaper suppliers. There have been many cases where people end up bringing infested plants in. These plants can end up damaging the rest of your plants.
Visual inspection
To avoid bringing in plants that have bugs, you need to start with a thorough visual inspection. Check under the leaves for bugs and egg sacks. You should also check for discoloration as well as holes in the leaves. If you notice a bug on the plant, hand-pick it and drown it in soapy water. If there are more than two bugs, you need to consider washing your plant thoroughly using insecticidal soap. Visual inspection is important even when picking a plant from interiorscaper suppliers.
Wash off the bugs
To wash off the bugs, you have to start by mixing insecticidal soap according to the directions given on the package. Start by washing an inconspicuous leaf and then wait for three days to see how the leaf reacts to the treatment. If there are no signs of soap burn afterwards, you can go ahead and wash the whole plant using the mixed insecticidal soap.
The soapy water should be mixed inside a spray bottle. When cleaning the plant, start from the top and spray every inch of the plant. Don’t forget to treat underneath the leaves. The insecticidal soap should also be treated on the soil surface as well as on the surface of the pot container.
If you are dealing with a larger plant, you can use a garden hose prior to bringing it indoors. Do so even if there are no visible bugs. Any plant, including draceana, which has been outdoors the whole summer, should be washed before being brought into the house. Doing this will not only eliminate the bugs but also remove debris and dust.
Winter inspection
Just because your dracaena has been indoors all summers doesn’t mean it can’t have any infestation. A routine monthly inspection for bugs is highly recommended by most interiorscaper suppliers. This is because a few pests on your plant can cause its health to decline. Prevention is the best cure and the best way of doing this is ensuring there are no pests on your plant. Inspect them once every month.
The above tips will definitely help you deal with bug problems on your plants. If you ever feel overwhelmed, never hesitate to contact an expert. There are so many professional growers out there that are more than willing to help you deal with the pest problem.