When you grow plants from seeds, they may be attacked by a fungus known as "damping off." You can cut down the chances of this by using sterilized starting mix, but if they are attacked, you'll need to throw away the plants that have been attacked. Otherwise, it may spread to the healthy plants. Leaf mold is another common ailment of houseplants. If your plants get it, remove the leaves that have been affected. If this doesn't work, you'll have to throw out the whole plant, or other plants will get it. In fact, this guideline should be followed no matter what disease or pest infestation your plant gets. If it is badly infected, the wisest choice is to throw away the whole plant. They are very difficult to cure, and you risk infecting your other plants. With some plants, you'll understandably have a hard time following this rule. Especially if you've had the plant for a long time, it can be a difficult choice. However, it is the best thing to do if you want to keep the rest of your plants healthy. If one of your favorite plants gets a mild case of blight or infestation, it may be possible to save it, but it will take a lot of work on your part. You'll need to remove it from its usual location, and keep it in a spot far away from your other plants during the time it is healing. There are five major types of insects that attack houseplants. Aphids are small green or brown insects that can be found on the underside of the leaves. They can sometimes be hard to see because they blend in with the leaves. First, try a good hard spray of water to get rid of them. If this doesn't work, you'll have to resort to an insecticide if you really want to save the plant. You'll need to spray your plant several times with the insecticide, because it only works if the spray comes into direct contact with the insect. Once you're done, spray the plant with water to remove the insecticide. are another common houseplant pest. A small white insect, they are usually found either underneath the leaves, or on the stems. Spraying with water usually does not get rid of them, so instead use an insecticide. Then, pick off the remaining few by hand. Use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to pry off the remaining mealybugs. Double check to make sure that they are all gone before you return the plant to its usual spot. Scale insects vary in shape, and are usually dark brown or black. They usually do not move once affixing themselves to the plant. Most often, they are found on ferns, palms, citrus fruits, rubber plants, and ivy. The only effective way to get rid of them is to pick them off individually. Again, use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to remove the pests. Red spiders are very tiny, and often the first sign is a web woven in the joint of a stem and leaf. They can be washed off with a strong spray of water, but you should also treat the plant with an insecticide to be sure they won't come back. White flies are tiny and moth-like, usually found on Geraniums and similar plants Because they will fly off if you try to spray the plant, they are hard to get rid of. Try spraying the plant with an insecticide several times per week.
It may seem like you can never get rid of the pests in your garden. However, you don't need to resort to chemicals if you want to get rid of pests on your flowers and vegetables. There are many natural remedies for pest control, which are much less harmful to your garden environment than poisonous pesticides. Natural remedies are much safer for wildlife, as well as your pets and children. Plus, it costs less than store-bought pesticides. Every year, over 136 million pounds of pesticides are dumped on lawns and gardens or used inside the home. This is three times as much as farmers use. A lot of the contamination from pesticides actually comes from homes, not large-scale farms. If you're looking for an environmentally way to control the insects in your garden, consider natural remedies that are much gentler. Here are a few remedies you can use instead of adding more chemicals to the soil: Make sure your garden is healthy to begin with. Start with well-prepared soil that has excellent drainage and air circulation, with compost to provide nutrients for your plants. To encourage healthy plants, you should also keep your garden mulched, and add compost frequently. After planting your garden, be sure to remove any weak plants, disposing of them well away from your garden. Weeds, discarded plants, and compost should not be kept near your garden if you want to keep pests away. Your garden should also be kept free of any other debris where insects or other pests may feed or breed. One natural remedy you can try is seaweed fertilizer spray. It contains minerals and other elements, like iron, zinc, calcium, sulfur, barium, and magnesium. These strengthen the soil, and help your plants thrive. If your plants are growing well, they will be better able to resist pests. You can also keep pests away by considering how you are planting your garden. Mix plants up, instead of planting areas of certain species. This will make it much harder for insects to spread between plants. Rotate plants year by year, and you will be able to get rid of insects that feed on specific plants. Also be sure to water your plants early in the day. This will give the leaves time to dry out, which is important because if your leaves are wet as night falls, insects and fungi may move in. If, despite your best efforts, several of your plants become infected, be sure to remove them as soon as you see them. Before using your gardening tools near healthy plants, you should disinfect them, just like a doctor would. This will keep the pests or infection from spreading. One way to keep harmful insects at bay is by attracting beneficial insects. If you can't seem to attract them, you can actually buy several species from catalogs. Brachonids, Chalcids, ladybugs, praying mantises, hover flies, and some species of wasps can all help keep pests at bay. These, in addition to , are powerful allies in your fight against garden pests! If your goal is to grow a healthy and beautiful garden while maintaining clean air in your surroundings, try to keep pests at bay using natural pesticides. You can learn more about natural pesticides on the internet, or at your local gardening store. There are many different options available, so once you determine which plant is being invaded by which pest, there should be a natural remedy to help you restore your garden to its original beauty!
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