REMOVE RED SPIDER MITES:
Red spider mites are a real nuisance and common pests found on houseplants.
Usually the first inkling that your plant is hosting these tiny little parasites is finding a fine, cottony web located in the heart of of the crown where the new growth appears. Combined with the appearance of yellowing and shriveling leaves, deformed flower buds, you may be pretty sure that your lovely plant is suffering from these sucking little insects. Photo on left shows a croton that has lost many beautiful leaves due to spider mite infestation.
Without control, these little pests will destroy and kill their host plant.
Red spider mites are visible to the human eye. When you examining the infested leaf, they begin to crawl to get out of the way, usually attempting to hide under the leaf itself. You may squash the little critters if you're quick enough, otherwise a good way to get rid of them is quite simple - spray your plant thoroughly with warm water. Be sure to spray down into the crown of the leaves so that the water accumulates and you can see it.
Spider mites thrive in dry areas. If you do not normally mist your house plants, you provide an ideal climate for spider mites - a succulent, growing plant with a dry environment. They move right in and begin spinning their tiny web with the intention of propagating and raising a family. Their food is kindly provided by you - all they need to do is to chomp into a tender leaf and suck out the juice.
You may need to mist your plant a couple of times to get rid of the pests but this simple action should do the job. Be sure to mist the leaves of all of your house plants about every two weeks, taking care to direct the spray into the crown, saturating the new leaves, and the undersides as well.
If the mites return after a week or so, you may consider "When All Else Fails" below.
GET RID OF APHIDS
Aphids, or plant lice, are another common pest of plants, indoor and outdoor a like. Again, they are easily discovered because they are quite visible to the human eye and the damage they do to your tender house plants is also easily seen. When your plants have an aphid infestation, the leaves curl and the flower buds are deformed with evidence of something chewing on them. Left to their own devices, they will kill the host plant.
Aphids are an interesting insect. You may be drawn to notice them because you see a string of ants coming and going up and down the stems of your plants.
The ants are credited with actually "herding and farming" the aphids because they "milk" the aphids for their excrement - a sticky, honey-like substance also called "honeydew" which is very attractive to ants. (See also "Ants In Your Plants", below.)
Controlling aphids is a little more complicated than controlling spider mites. You can wash or spray them off, or squash them between your fingers.
An enemy of aphids is the cute little ladybug beetle! Ladybug larvae consider aphids a delicacy. While you probably won't want to let a bunch of ladybugs loose in your house, its a perfectly fine idea to do so in your outdoor garden. If some find their way inside to feast on the aphids on your houseplants, that's a good thing. It's the larvae of the ladybug that eats the aphids. Under a microscope, the larvae is quite fearsome looking. They will literally eat hundreds of aphids during one 24 hour period and you benefit from having the friendly and pretty little beetles flying around your home and property. You can find ladybugs for sale, along with praying mantis cocoons, too, in most garden stores and the garden departments of home improvement stores.
Some gardeners say that aphids are attracted to yellow - such as plastic yellow margarine containers. They fill the containers with water and the aphids purportedly jump in and drown because they don't wear life preservers!
You may also experiment with insecticidal soap which is considered safe and effective on ornamentals and vegetables. Other people rely on commercially prepared pesticides. Check the labels and heed warning instructions.
HOW TO GET RID OF ANTS
Ants in your plants? As mentioned above, you may discover an unwanted traffic pattern of ants crawling upon your kitchen counters, doorway and across the floor. Chances are, they are engaging in the simple act of farming aphids. By controlling the aphids on your plants, you will effectively discourage the ants and send them looking for greener pastures.
A few months ago, I noticed that I had an unusual number of ants crawling across my kitchen counters and into the garden window above my sink. I removed everything including a planter box containing four orchid plants, from the garden window, washed and wiped the surfaces, and replaced the items. I keep about an inch of water in the bottom of the planter and then set the pots of orchids inside, allowing them to sit in the water. The plants thrive in the humid atmosphere and produce beautiful blossoms. (See Exotic House Plants.)
What I didn't know is that I had also created a wonderful environment for ants to colonize! The orchids were potted in coarse bark which made a nice roomy nest for the ants. They were able to easily come and go because the sides of the pots and some of the leaves touched the sides of the planter. Add to that the inevitable supply of crumbs and sugar, voila! A smorgasbord and comfortable abode for these nasty little six legged crawly insects!
When I discovered which orchid was hosting the colony, I pulled it out of the potting mix and submerged its entire root system in water in a plastic container. I left it there for about a week until I was positive the ants had either crawled away or drowned. Then I re-potted the plant with fresh orchid potting mix and replaced it in the planter. I haven't had any problem since but I'll be quicker to investigate the source if I spot the ant brigade again.
NATURAL INSECT REPELLENTS:
Organic gardeners know there are many natural insect repellents found in plants. Companion planting is a basic factor in organic gardening. For instance, knowledgeable gardeners sprinkle coffee grounds in rows along with carrot seeds. The theory is that the smell of the coffee confuses the little flies that lay their eggs among the carrots. Those hatch into worms that so often ruin home-grown carrots by deforming the vegetable and leaving brown trails where they have eaten its flesh. Yuk!
I recently learned of a misting system that I believe is similar to a sprinkling system for watering your lawn. This misting system dispenses pyrethrum, a natural insecticide found in chrysanthemum flowers, at regular intervals to discourage and repel spiders, mosquitoes, flies, and other insects. For more information, click on Esprit's Friendly Links.
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS ...:
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" - and this could be a precaution that will help avoid insect infestations that are brought into your home from outside sources. If your plants have never suffered from mites, aphids or other creepy-crawly bugs before but you suddenly find an attack in progress, it's possible that the carrier could be a new plant that you've just introduced into your house.
And, I confess. The photo above of the infested croton is first-hand evidence of the plant already having spider mites when I brought it home. When it didn't respond to regular misting, I resorted to drastic action.
Pick up a package of "No Pest Strips" from a variety or hardware store. They usually come in packs of 2 or more. You'll also need a plastic garbage bag that is large enough to hold your entire potted plant with room to spare. Place a strip on top of the soil of the infected plant or stick it into the soil leaving the strip exposed. Then place the potted plant with the No Pest Strip inside the garbage bag and knot the bag so the entire plant, pot and strip is enclosed.
You'll have to leave the plant inside the bag for about 24 hours so it's a good idea to place it in a garage or in a sheltered place on a porch where small children cannot access it. After this initial treatment, remove the plant from the bag but keep it quarantined for a few more days until you are sure it is not still carrying unwanted bugs!
