How to Identify and Treat Houseplant Pests
How to Spot and Deal with Common Houseplant Pests
Westturf excels at maintaining landscapes for commercial properties and apartment communities. And as one of the best HOA landscaping companies in San Diego County, we take pride in being there for all clients when they need us to maintain their outdoor spaces. However, we’re also big fans of indoor houseplants. After all, one of the best ways to bring the great outdoors and enhance your home or office is with houseplants.
It’s one thing to have houseplants and another thing to take care of them properly so that they can provide the beauty you love. So, with that said, we will discuss common houseplant pests, namely, how to identify and treat them should you discover an infestation.
Common Houseplants for San Diego County
Tiny white bugs in houseplant soil? Need help with soil bugs identification?
Before we dive into how to identify and treat houseplant pests, we’ll highlight some houseplants that can be a perfect addition to any home or office space. San Diego’s moderate year-round climate makes it ideal for indoor and outdoor plants. Adding houseplants to your indoor office space can create a relaxing atmosphere, help purify the air, and add style.
Here are some excellent houseplant options for offices and homes in San Diego:
- Dracaena
- Bromeliad
- Fiddle Leaf Ficus
- Brasil Philodendron
- Sansevieria (Snake Plant)
- Aloe Vera
- Pothos
- Anthurium (also known as Laceleaf or Flamingo Flower)
- Peace Lily
- Monstera Deliciosa
- ZZ Plant
Common Bugs on Houseplants
There can be several reasons why something doesn’t look right with your houseplants. Too much water? Too little or too much sunlight? Could be a water or sunlight issue. Or, many times, it’s a pest infestation.
The following are common houseplant bugs:
Aphids
Aphids are soft, pear-shaped insects that attack both outdoor and indoor plants. They can typically be found sucking nutrient-rich juices out of leaves, causing them to yellow and deform. Aphids can be green, yellow, brown, black, or even pink colored.
Issues caused by aphids:
- Stunted growth
- Discoloration
- Leaf curling
- Honeydew
- Fungus
How to control aphids:
- Use houseplant insectice soaps and oils
- Place them near pungent-smelling plants like sage, wormwood, lavender, garlic, or onion
- Hand-wipe them off
- Water-spray them off
- Use swabs dipped in 70% alcohol
Mealybugs
These tiny, white, fluffy-looking pests can be found all over your houseplant once infested. Have you noticed tiny white bugs in soil? Well, you can even find mealybugs in the soil, feeding on root systems. They like to feed on sap and can cause your houseplants to grow stunted or deformed.
Issues caused by mealybugs:
- Wax-covered plants
- Sticky honeydew
- White, cottony egg masses
- Wilting
- Plant malformation
How to treat mealybugs:
- Spray with warm water
- Mix neem oil concentrate with water and dish soap. Spray the solution on the plant.
- Houseplant insecticide soap
- Prune
- Use rubbing alcohol and wipe off the mealybugs
Scale
These soft or hard-bodied insects usually have a dark spot in the center of their lighter-colored body. You can find them on the stems and undersides of leaves.
Issues caused by scale:
- Yellowing leaves
- Drooping leaves
- Stunted growth
- Shell-like bumps on leaves and stems
- Sooty mold
How to treat scale:
- Remove them by hand with a soft toothbrush or with a cotton swab dipped in soapy water or alcohol
- Spray with neem or houseplant insecticidal soap
- Spray with hydrogen peroxide
Spider Mites
Spider mites are tiny pests; they’re so small that seeing them with the naked eye can be challenging. While they can be hard to see, you can identify their presence by the silky webs they leave on stems and leaves. Unfortunately, they reproduce quickly, which means you may need to treat your plant multiple times.
Issues caused by spider mites:
- Can suck the chlorophyll from leaves, resulting in fine white spots, yellowing, and browning
- Eventual plant death
How to treat spider mites:
- Spray your plants with houseplant insecticidal soap
- Spray with neem oil
- Remove infested leaves
Thrips
These fast-moving pests are thin, small, and long. They have fringed wings and are often found on the tops of leaves, where they feed off sap.
Issues caused by thrips:
- Silvery streaks on leaves, discoloration, crinkling, or dropping
- White or brown blotches or deformed buds on flowers
- Sooty spots or black varnish-like flecks
How to treat thrips:
- Physically remove them with a cotton swab with soapy water
- You can use a lint roller to pick them off
- Spray your plant with a mixture of horticultural oil or houseplant insecticide oil
- Spray your plant with neem oil
- Spray with a mixture of dish detergent and isopropyl rubbing alcohol
Fungus gnats
Often mistaken as mosquitos, these pests love to fly around your home, annoying the heck out of you. You can also find fungus gnats in moist soil. However, if you see tiny white bugs in the soil, they are not fungus gnats because they're usually gray to black.
Issues caused by fungus gnats:
- Can damage plant roots
- Can cause wilting, poor growth, and yellowing leaves
- Stunt development of your plants
How to treat fungus gnats:
- Fungus gnats are weak fliers so they’re easy to clap-away
- Since they like to breed in dense overwatered soil, changing your potting mix can control them
Experience Quality Service. The Difference...Is Growing
Westturf Landscape has been in business since 1974. From HOAs to municipalities, we take pride in ensuring landscapes remain attractive and healthy year-round. Commercial and HOA landscaping is our specialty.
Call us at 760-650-3120 or message us online for a free quote.
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Do you have a landscaping project in mind? is it time for a new HOA landscaping company? Westturf Landscape Management is ready to help. We offer a wide range of services, from synthetic turf installation to weed and brush clearance and complete landscape transformations. When it comes to quality, efficient landscaping services, we have you covered.
We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Westturf Landscape Management
701 Mercantile Street
Vista, CA 92083
Phone: 760.650.3120