Caring for indoor plants brings a number of great benefits to our everyday lives. It promotes both our physical and mental health. It has been proven that the green beauties improve the air quality in our living spaces. If the plants also have a great original sculptural appearance or are crowned with bright flowers, they will significantly enrich our interior and decoration. The atmosphere generally feels fresher and livelier. In addition, the design looks noble, because the plants distract from many disadvantages in the interior design. The whole thing has only two major disadvantages: On the one hand, the maintenance effort and the possible disappointment of spoiled plants have to be considered; On the other hand, you often have to avoid and fight pests on indoor plants, which is of course very annoying and even disgusting for some. The second topic in particular triggers particularly strong, unpleasant feelings in many people. However, the dangers surrounding the pests are half as wild if you know the right rules for care. We would be happy to introduce you to the topic.
Houseplant pests are not a problem if you know how to deal with them
Avoid or control pests on indoor plants
We now have very positive and somewhat negative news for you! Let’s start with the second! There are a number of different types of pests that will infest your indoor plants.
Consequently, there are no general formulas with which you can combat them. However, the good news is that the care measures to avoid the problem are fairly simple and universal. If you stick to it, you rarely have to fight any pests.
There are some typical pests that you should simply recognize
Check your houseplants regularly for pests
Normally you can tell first by looking at the leaves whether you are dealing with pests on indoor plants. These deform, could suddenly look somehow kinked or curled. Some types of pests leave trails such as webs or slimy liquid. Eventually, the foliage may discolour in some way. When buying, make sure that there are certain signs of pests or diseases. Then you should keep checking back at regular intervals. After all, early detection of the problem helps to solve it quickly.
Aphids are common and this is what they look like!
Is it really a matter of pests or other problems of plant care?
Don’t panic! In some cases, this can simply be the result of dry air in the room. Furthermore, the plant could appear less vital or ill due to improper positioning in the room. In addition, the early detection of the problem helps to find a quick and easy solution without complex measures.
You can recognize spider mites by the webs they form
Check houseplants for pests in the right places
There are certain parts of plants where pests typically congregate. There you must first check whether you are really dealing with them. Turn the leaves over and look at the underside as well! You should also look through all the axils and transitions, i.e. hidden places on the foliage. Take a closer look at the small shoots, among other things. Some pests mainly attack the roots or are found on the ground. In an emergency, you must carefully remove the plant from the soil and also take a closer look at the root system.
This is what leaf miner larvae look like!
Which pests are they?
Have you definitely discovered pests on your indoor plants? Your next task is to identify more precisely which ones it is.
Here is our list of the most common houseplant pests. The descriptions above the images and in the text will further help you identify the different species.
Scale insects are also very common
aphids are seen in either light yellow or green. However, they are characterized by a very distinctive appearance, which you can also see in the picture. Take a closer look at these because these types of harmers are fairly common.
white flies just fly around in their late stages of development. However, they may first spot the larvae on the underside of the leaf.
Mealybug, also called mealybugs form something like cotton balls.
scale insects are partly black, partly orange and because of the second bright shade you can see them immediately.
fungus gnats, which are very small and black.
are spider mites very small and difficult to see. They often form webs on the axes of the plants.
miner flies eat the leaves of your plants very aggressively and that is precisely why they cannot be overlooked.
Fungus gnats also occur as pests on indoor plants
Avoid pests on indoor plants
As already explained, you should treat each of the different pests very differently. However, the preventive measures are more or less the same. You can place each plant where it gets enough light for its needs. Appropriate soil, as well as fertilizers and appropriate watering promote growth and avoid pests. These attack the already weakened plants.
After all, early detection of the pests helps a lot. If you spot these at a very early stage of development and dispersal, simply removing their eggs or larvae may solve the problem.
In any case, we want to encourage you to take care of the beautiful plants at home, despite the threat of pests. They will definitely improve your quality of life. Although pests on indoor plants are a nuisance for you, they are in no way dangerous for your health!
Whiteflies are also more common to fight
Mealybugs are also somewhat difficult to remove
Indoor plants bring a lot of joy to life! It’s worth taking care of
