Pest 101 -
Maintenance
It’s inevitable when you become a plant parent. We are the urgent care haha, but have no fear we can help. Knowing what is affecting our plants can help with us figuring out what is the best way to help. These little pest are resilient hitch hikers and travel unseen until we find them hosting a party with one of our plants. I routinely keep an eye on all my plants when I water. Inspecting the top and bottom of the foliage, noticing any sticky substances on or below the plant. Also when introducing new plants from various nurseries or even my own I spray them with insecticidal soap as one of the mildest insecticides on the market, but very effective with containing any potential issues. If you have the space I would also suggest just keeping your plant separated until you feel it’s passed the clean plant test.
If you do find yourself dealing with a bug infestation on one plant, I would not just treat the infected plant. I would treat any other plants that are above or below. Usually when we visually are seeing the damage, the plants have had the infestation for a couple of weeks and are now seeing its over population. This could be happening to other plants nearby, as a plant becomes infested and overcrowded insects know that it’s time to spread their wings and find new plant to conquer. So while we treat one plant, we do preventative maintenance on the others. I also take the time to sterilize the area my plants live and give everything a good cleaning to prevent any future infestations.
Pesticides -
I like organic pest control and it is very effective for me. Couple things; with any product follow the instructions they provide and do not skimp out on spraying your plant well. Spraying enough material that it’s just beginning to roll off the foliage on the top and bottom of the foliage and throughout the whole plant. Repetition with organics is also very important, unlike chemicals these products are designed to break down and have no residual effects so you will have to re-apply at least 2 to 3 times to get things under control.
Apply another application 7-10 days depending severity of infestation would also decide if you would have to apply another application 7-10 days later.
When I’m faced with a plant that have bugs, I start with evaluating the condition of the plant.
Cut the worst infected leaves and immediately dispose of foliage.
Wash foliage with running water to help knock off some of the bug population. You will get rid of plenty little critters this way and allows us a great starting point for treatment.
Wipe foliage down if possible with paper towel to brush off more bugs and help dry the foliage.
Spray plant from top to bottom. Ensure you hit the top and bottoms of the same leaves. Get in the nooks and make sure enough spray is being applied that its dripping off the foliage.
Quarantine plant if possible and treat surrounding plants. If you have the time I wash them and spray even if I do not see any bug damage. This will also just clean dust off the foliage and give you a clean slate with all plants near infected plant.
Insecticidal soap
Small, soft-bodied insects such as aphids, mealybugs, thrips, scale crawlers, and spider mites are most susceptible to the soaps. Insecticidal soaps kill by suffocation, they appear to disrupt the cellular membranes of the insect, and they remove protective waxes that cover the insect, resulting in dehydration. Insecticidal soaps are also an effective leaf wash to remove honeydew, sooty mold, and other debris from leaves.
Soaps are made when the fatty acid portion of either plant or animal oils are joined with a strong alkali. They are potassium salts of fatty acids. Commercial insecticidal soaps are a highly refined version of liquid dish soap. While you could make your insecticidal soap mixture, there is a substantially increased risk of plant injury with them. Dry dish detergent and all clothes-washing detergents are far too harsh to use on plants because of all the additives in them. Some soaps and detergents are poor insecticides, and other additives in these products may be phytotoxic (i.e., they may damage the plant).
Neem Oil
A Botanical insecticide made from extracts of Neem tree seeds. The active ingredient is listed on product labels as clarified, hydrophobic extracts of neem oil. It is used to control a wide variety of insects, including leafminers, whiteflies, thrips, caterpillars, aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, scale crawlers, and beetles. Neem oil is most effective against actively growing immature insects. Neem oil sprays kill small insect pests and mites by suffocation, as do horticultural oil sprays, but also have some insecticidal properties. Neem oil sprays have some fungicidal activity, but it is typically limited to powdery mildew control. This control is primarily because it is an oil.
Bio- Neem (Azadirachtin)
the active ingredient in neem extracts, has a very low mammalian toxicity. It has been separated from the neem oil. It is a somewhat effective insect feeding deterrent and growth regulator. Azadirachtin does not produce a quick knockdown and kill but stops insect feeding. The treated insect usually cannot molt into its next life stage and dies without reproducing. It also is an egg-laying deterrent. Works great as a soil drench to kill fungus gnats.
Pyrethrins
Pyrethrin, also known as pyrethrum, is a compound extracted from the chrysanthemum flower — a plant native to northeastern Europe, Asia and Eastern Africa, though it is grown throughout the world. In fact, many North Americans know this plant as a mum, a decorative autumn flower. These plants contain pyrethrin, which is used by the plant as a natural defense mechanism to protect against insects and other pest animals.
Pyrethrin affects an insect’s nervous system through a deadly toxic effect. Almost immediately upon contact with this compound, the insect dies from a form of paralysis. This effect is what makes pyrethrin a highly effective insecticide.
Pyrethrin is an insecticide that kills a wide range of insect pests including ants, mosquitoes, moths, flies and fleas. Pyrethrin kills off insects almost instantly upon contact. Only apply Pyrethrin in smaller, spot sprays. You do not need to use a lot.
However, be careful not to overuse this insecticide product – take care avoid using on beneficial insects such as ladybugs and honey bees. Therefore, only use pyrethrin in situations where it will not affect these types of insects.
Additionally, pyrethrin breaks down rapidly, so it does not persist in the environment. This means pyrethrin-based sprays are often considered compliant for organic production, unlike many synthetic pesticides.
Spinosad
Spinosad is a natural substance made by a soil bacterium that can be toxic to insects. It is used to control a wide variety of pests. These include thrips, leafminers,spider mites, mosquitoes, ants, fruit flies and others. Spinosad affects the nervous system of insects that eat or touch it. It causes their muscles to flex uncontrollably. This leads to paralysis and ultimately their death, typically within 1-2 days.
Application
As with anything applied to plants, it is important to read the entire label and carefully follow the directions. Insecticidal soaps are usually used as a 1 to 2% solution (2½ to 5 tablespoons per gallon). Always follow the label for the product you are using. Do not attempt to use in higher concentration, as this may be very harmful. Mix the soap concentrate in a clean sprayer. Do not apply the soap in full sun or at temperatures above 90 ºF as this may damage the plants. High temperatures and high humidity may increase plant stress and, therefore, sensitivity. It is best to treat your plants in the early morning or late in the day. Since the soap spray is only effective as long as it is wet, the slower drying conditions favor better insect or mite control.
It is important to spray both the top surface and, especially, the underside of the leaves as many of the pests will be found there. Because of the relatively short residual action and the fact that the insects must be in contact with the soap to be effective, repeat applications may be necessary every 4- to 7-days (follow the label directions) until the pests are eliminated. Avoid excessive applications as leaf damage may accumulate with repeated exposure. Always follow the directions on the label.
The quality of the water you are using should be considered when using insecticidal soaps. Hard water reduces the effectiveness of the insecticidal soap. Calcium, magnesium, and iron cause the fatty acids to precipitate out of the solution causing the soap to be ineffective. It is important to use the purest water possible. You can determine if your tap water is compatible by mixing the recommended concentration of soap that you want to use with the appropriate amount of water in a glass jar. Agitate and let the mixture stand for 15 minutes. If the mix remains uniform and milky, the water quality is fine for the spray. If there is scum on the surface, you should use distilled or bottled water.
The only disadvantages of insecticidal soaps are associated with the limitations of their nature.
The soap solution must wet the insect during application.
There is no residual effectiveness because soap dries or is washed away.
There is a potential for phytotoxicity when the soap residue is affected by high temperatures.
Clemson Factsheet Insecticidal Soap
Indoor Pest -
Scale
Scale are small soft-bodied insects that cover themselves with layers of either flexible or stiff wax. These covers help them blend into their environment, prevent them from drying out, and hide them from predators. For gardeners, this shield also blocks most contact insecticides from touching the insect itself.
Typical wax colors are brown, gray, or white, though the insect underneath can be more colorful - rosy-red or purplish. Cover shapes are usually round, rice-shaped, or oystershell-shaped, and are often smaller than a third of an inch (8-9 millimeters). Scale enlarge their covers as they grow, though, in some species, male and female covers can be different sizes, shapes, and colors. Scale insects like to cluster together and usually are infested on the bottom of the leaves. When we see a heavy population of scale thats when you start seeing them on the top of the leaves. Have no fear as long as we identify the scale and start treatment your plant can be saved :).
What problems do they cause?
Scale feed on plants by sucking up either plant juices in sap or the contents of plant cells.
Their feeding can weaken plants or cause localized tissue death.
As with many other sap-sucking insects, soft scale produces honeydew. (Armored scale does not.)
This sugary waste excretion falls and sticks onto leaves or any surface below the insect.
Mealy Bug
Mealybugs are soft, oval, wax-covered insects that feed on many plants in garden, landscape, and indoor settings. Usually found in colonies, they are piercing-sucking insects closely related to soft scales but lack the scale covers. Like soft scales, they can produce abundant honeydew and are often associated with black sooty mold. Mealybugs are favored by warm weather and thrive in areas without cold winters or on indoor plants.Mealybugs are usually found feeding in colonies in somewhat protected areas such as between two touching fruits, in the crown of a plant, in branch crotches, on stems near soil, or between the stem and touching leaves. A few mealybug species feed on roots.
While adult females are wingless and similar in shape to nymphs, adult male mealybugs, which are rarely seen, are tiny two-winged insects with two long tail filaments. Many mealybug species can reproduce asexually without mating.
Plants growing indoors or in greenhouses are especially vulnerable because year-round mild temperatures favor mealybug populations, and indoor plants are usually not exposed to the natural enemies that often keep mealybugs under control outdoors. Among houseplants, aglaonema, coleus, cactus, dracaena, ferns, ficus, hoya, jade, orchids, palms, philodendron, schefflera, poinsettia, and various herbs including rosemary and sage often have problems with aboveground mealybugs. Ground mealybug infestations are most often reported on African violet and gardenias.
What problems do they cause?
Mealybugs suck sap from plant phloem, reducing plant vigor, and they excrete sticky honeydew and wax, which reduces plant and fruit quality, especially when black sooty mold grows on the honeydew.
Large accumulations of mealybugs, their egg sacs, and wax can be unattractive.
High populations feeding on foliage or stems can slow plant growth and cause leaf drop.
Using Neem with pyrethrins is an effective way to control and multiple applications will be needed to keep mealy bugs under control
Thrips
Most adult thrips are elongate, slender, minute (less than 1/20 inch long), and have long fringes on the margins of both pairs of their long, narrow wings. Immatures (called larvae or nymphs) are oblong or slender and elongate and lack wings. Most thrips range in color from translucent white or yellowish to dark brown or black. Very mobile insect that is hard to detect due to the size, best tactic is to cut out the infested areas and then spray with Spinosad to get control.
What problems do they cause?
Feeding results in various tissue responses, including scar formation and distorted growth
Thrips feeding can stunt plant growth and cause damaged leaves to become papery and distorted, develop tiny pale spots (stippling), and drop prematurely.
Infested leaves may discolor and become rolled. If you were to open leaves you would find adult and nymph Thrips heavily populated in curled leaf.
Spider Mite
Spider mites (Family: Tetranychidae) are classed as a type of arachnid, relatives of insects that also includes spiders, ticks, daddy-longlegs and scorpions. Spider mites are small and often difficult to see with the unaided eye. Their colors range from red and brown to yellow and green, depending on the species of spider mite and seasonal changes in their appearance.
Many spider mites produce webbing, particularly when they occur in high populations. This webbing gives the mites and their eggs some protection from natural enemies and environmental fluctuations. Webbing produced by spiders, as well as fluff produced by cottonwoods, often is confused with the webbing of spider mites.
The most important spider mite is the twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). This mite attacks a wide range of garden plants, including many vegetables (e.g., beans, eggplant), fruits (e.g., raspberries, currants, pear) and flowers. The twospotted spider mite is also the most important species on house plants. It is a prolific producer of webbing.
Following severe infestations, leaves become discolored, producing an unthrifty gray or bronze look to the plant. Leaves and needles may ultimately become scorched and drop prematurely. Spider mites frequently kill plants or cause serious stress to them.
Washing plant foliage using a soft cloth or a forceful spray of lukewarm water can help reduce the spider mite population if done repeatedly. Other control options include treating plants with an insecticide containing permethrin or pyrethrin. Insecticidal soap and horticultural oil are also effective.
What problems do they cause?
Spider mites suck the chlorophyll from leaves which results in fine white spots or stipples on the leaves.
Heavy feeding causes yellowing, browning, and eventual death of leaves.
Some spider mite species produce webbing that covers the leaves and stems when populations are high.
The two-spotted spider mite feeds mainly on the undersides of the leaves.
If mites become a problem, periodically wash down houseplants with a strong spray of water and be sure to get good coverage of the lower leaf surfaces.
When control is needed, use insecticidal soap for houseplants or a houseplant insecticide that is labeled for spider mites and houseplants. Read and follow label directions.
