When I bring plants indoors for the season I do nothing at all.

It works.

Sure, if you know or find out that a plant has mites or aphids or whatever you need to treat it, but as a matter of routine if your outdoor plants appear to have no problems, then just bring them in with no fuss.

It is a good idea to spray them with a firm misty spray of the garden hose....and if you can, pull the plant out of the pot to look for hitch hikers

It is not the insects that you can see that I worry about...It is the ones that you can't see. Like to spidermites, thrips, aphid eggs and other pests that like to bloom in the winter get brought in via the soil? Do I have to treat the soil for the bugs you can't see, such as even larvea, or eggs just waiting to hatch once brought into the home. I think I am going to have a panick attack. Attack of the pests before it even happens. Been watching to many scary bug movies!!lol
I am concerned that if I bring the plants in, then by a couple of months from now it is too late to not only treat the plant itself, but the soil if I am suppose to, before being brought in. Am I making sense. Am I over worried? I think I am just panicking and probably making a whole lot of a big deal out of nothing.....
Thanks

If it looks sick...don't bring it in.

The pests that you are so paranoid about aren't typically found in the soil. The eggs are deposited along the crooks and crannies of the plant stems, leaf axils, etc.

If you pay the least little bit of attention to your plants on a weekly basis, you will be able to spot an infestation before it explodes. You've admitted many times that you tend to be lazy (YOUR WORDS, NOT MINE) when it comes to establishing maintenance routines with your plants. Now is the time to establish some better habits. Right?

Rhizo,
I pay little attention to the fertilizing of them as I have stated yes, but to the watchfulness of insects your wrong. By my posts, I would think you would could see what I am like the minute I bring them indoors!
I am more vigelant, even overboard, when it comes to the insects though. Ask the people that live with me. I spend hours looking for just one mite or pest. I even bought a 80 dollar magnifyer last year. Everyday, I mean everyday, I was looking at my plants for insects. You could say obsessed. Read last winters posts..lol
No matter what I did, they came back EVERY day. I rinsed them, sprayed them with neem, ordered natural prdators, over 200 dollars worth, tried to create the perfect enviroment for no pests, then sounded like a fool going on this site every other day frustrated with the pests that haunted my plants like a plague everyday not going away until I was finally able to put them outside. Now they are all PEST free, I hope, because I was quite vigelant with that, but not so with fertilizing I did admit.
So, I have this fear that all that hard work to keep my plants clean, not fed, will only be corrupted by a lack of proper proceedures for bringing them back indoors. I want to do what's best for them. I will say that you have been of great help. Also thanks for the concern in your response to someone else suggesting I spray chemical.
The problem is, is that I can not even handle the slightest infestation, not an explosion.
It was my worst winter last year with insect, even with my vigelance!! The problem was caused by infected plants I brought home from a greenhouse last November. I know better now. But I pretty much know how to keep the population down. I just want to make sure I am doing all I can, and just want to, I guess, be told that I will have no pests if I use the correct pesticide.
I am begining to see that there are no guarentees and that is the world of indoors plants, even if never brought outdoors. These pest could be in the crevices of our floors for petes sake. I guess no matter what we do, the chance of mites or any stupid critters sitting on our plants is part of the game. If we don't want any at all, then quit the hobby right?
Thanks rhizzo for everthing, you make alot of valid sense.
Remember though,this is me, and you know that I am not only "parinoid" of pests, but very vigelant at catching even one. That is my problem. Fear of just one. Just seeing one, kills me. That's why all the fuss. I would hope after all this great advice I might not even see ONE with my 80 dollar magnifier. In fact sometimes I am afraid to use it. I start from the day the first plant comes in.
Mike

Mike, why are you so concerned about a few pests? I understand that you are, but I don't understand why. Just curious.

I DO remember all of your frenzy last year regarding critters, especially mites. How on earth could I have forgotten, lol? Hmmmmm. We need to get you de-sensitized to a few little critters, me thinks. Is this a phobia issue, do you think?

I have to tell you that the goal of being pest FREE is not reasonable, except for an operating room or similiar sterile environment. The best you should hope for, especially since you summer your plants outside, is a very low pest population. Any plant can tolerate a few pests without any trouble whatsoever.

Look how well your plants have done this past year! You should be extremely proud of what you've accomplished. The next step for you is to understand that you and your plants can be perfectly healthy in spite of a few mites. What I worry about is that you would so willingly sacrifice your (and other's) health in exchange for the empty guarantee that you will be pest free.

Do you remember me telling you that I never take my house plants outside for the summer? Yet, upon occasion, I'll find a few mites under some leaves when giving them a good wash in the sink. I use an alcohol mist to take care of such events. Do I consider my plants pest FREE? Nope. Do I have a pest problem? Heck, no. Do they show any sign of stress, feeding frenzy by pests, ill health? Nope. How often do I inspect them? Two or three times a year.

Your assignments are to give the containers that good soaking I mentioned so that you can get rid of any six, eight, zillion, or zero-legged creatures that may be hiding in the soil. Ack! I'd a whole lot rather find a little population of spider mites than a mess of slimy slugs wandering over the floor. (Hey, that's just me.)

Then, hit your plants with an application of neem. Be sure to spray the underside of the foliage, as well as along the stems, etc.

Keep a misting bottle mixed with one part alcohol to three parts water so that you can use it every week or so. Again, hit the underside of the leaves.

Do NOT inspect your plants every day. That is simply feeding the phobia.

Hahahahahahahha!!! ok guys......You all make me laugh...Your right
But I will tell you what was very dissapointing. Did u ever look so forward to something and it never came through for you. That is what I went through everytime I saw new growth on any of my trees last winter. Yet everytime any, I mean any new flush growth would appear, not one new leaf or new flush would not be distorted, cut off, or eaten by a pest. Everytime any new growth appeared, the next day it was ruined. I was so upset,dissapointed, that I just wanted to throw the trees out, or pinch off all the new growth on any of my trees before I had to see it destroyed. I hated it. I was looking at the new growth veryday with a magnifying glass, and it never failed that I saw something attacking the new growth. Then try to spray anything in that growth, or flowers, then that to would make them fall off.
Blame it on hot conditions in my room, or introducing plants with pests in the first place, but this winter I refuse to cave in to pests anymore. I will apply your techniques! Especially keeping the room cooler part.
Here,
In stead of worrying about something that hasn't happened yet, since I am going to do things different with your great advice, let's take one day at a time.
But I promise, if the same thing happens to me again after all the hard work, then I will give up the hobbie all together until I move somewhere where I can grow outside all yearlong, or you'll all have to see me CRY all winter!lololol
You guys are the best. Wish me the best and I will wish you guys the best too. Hope I will be able to tell you by December how great the new growth on my plants look!!
You all made my day!! I needed it