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Disease and Insect Control

Control Measures Without Chemicals

1. Examine plants thoroughly for insects before purchasing. Avoid buying plants that are not healthy. Isolate newly purchased plants for two to three weeks before placing them near plants known to be free of insects and disease.

2. House plants taken outside during warm weather can become infested with insects. Before bringing plants back into the home in the fall, examine each closely for insects.

4. Potting soil should be pasteurized to prevent disease and insect problems. See the section on soil pasteurization.

5. Some insects can be removed by using a small artist's brush or cotton swab dipped in alcohol, a toothpick or tweezers or by thoroughly washing the leaves with a mild detergent solution (two teaspoons solution per gallon of water). If the last method is used, care should be taken to avoid wetting the soil. This method should be repeated several times.

6. Avoid misting plants as this can contribute to and spread infectious diseases.

Control Measures With Chemicals

To insure the safest and most effective results from a pesticide, READ THE ENTIRE LABEL on the container.

Some plant species may be injured by certain chemicals (phytotoxic reaction), so read the precaution section on the pesticide label before applying. If in doubt about the reaction of a certain pesticide on a specific plant, treat a small portion of the plant at the recommended rate to determine if there is a phytotoxic reaction. If there is a reaction, use another pesticide.

Treat the underside of leaves too, since this is frequently where infestations of mites, aphids and whiteflies are heavily concentrated.

Control of mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, scales and aphids can be a problem indoors because of the difficulty in applying insecticides to the target area. For treating smaller plants, place them in a 20 to 30 gallon tightly closed plastic bag for 12 to 24 hours with a no-pest-strip insecticide. Repeat at weekly intervals for about three treatments and then repeat at intervals of a month or two. The active ingredient in the no-pest-strip, vapona, can be quite toxic, so be sure to read all label precautions before using. It is difficult to attain a complete eradication. Do not treat velvet plants (Gynura), Boston ferns and their varieties, zebra plants (Aphelandra) and Peperomias because of possible injury