Bringing Them Indoors- How to De-Bug
mes111
9 years ago
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johnmerr
9 years agoBarbJP 15-16/9B CA Bay Area
9 years agoRelated Discussions
HELP with bringing plants indoors again :)
Comments (4)I agree with the above. Your best bet is to start early and just handle a few at a time. Look each over thoroughly (under the leaves, along the stem - especially nooks and crannies where the petioles meet the stems, scuff up the surface of the soil a little & check it out), then give each a rinse with a garden hose or sprayer, upper and lower sides of leaves. If you feel better about using something just in case some critters escape your attention, you could use an insecticidal soap. I don't know what brands are available where you live ("Safers" is popular in the US), but if you ask for insecticidal soap in your local garden center, they'll be able to point you in the right direction. Neem oil is another insect deterrent that's not toxic to most other life forms (including beneficial insects like bees). It's also a fair fungicide. Again, that's a product name (neem oil), not a brand name, so you could ask for it locally. Water with regular soap, not detergent or antibacterial, sprayed all over the plant helps prevent or get rid of mites and some other pests, too. Rinsing the next day helps keep soap residue from attracting dust. If you've left pots sitting on or near the ground, they might have critters that have crawled up the pots' drainage holes. Most of the large soil critters, and some of the small ones (like springtails) won't cause much if any harm to your plants, but you don't want millipede explorers, or earthworms crawling out and drying up on your floor, so best to leave them outside :) Setting the whole pot in a bucket of water for an hour will help chase out some soil critters. (water level just barely below pot rim level -- check for critters on the surface & get rid of them) It might encourage fungus gnats later, but no system is perfect. *sigh* Also, be careful with cacti, as you don't want the pots overwatered, especially when the temps are cool! Only soak them if their mix has perfect drainage and if it's warm where they'll be until they dry out. If you see pests like scale or mealy bugs, regular isopropyl alcohol spritzed from a hand-held sprayer can help get rid of them. It takes regular applications over 2-3 weeks to make sure you get them all. I've used 70% alcohol straight as is from the bottle on a very wide variety of plants with no ill effects (to the plants!) but I'll follow the trend of caution in what I recommend to others -- you might want to just spray a leaf or two leave it a day or so and make sure the plant isn't damaged from it. ...and of course, be sure not to breathe the mist in when you're spraying. I go the non-toxic (or low-toxicity) route first, but rather than risk my whole collection, I will resort to using a systemic when I feel it's needed. Using a granular form is safer, IMO, as I don't have to worry about what surfaces are being hit with overspray, or whether I'm breathing it or getting it on my skin. I just dig a little hole in the potting mix, put in a small amount of the granules, and cover it back over. (Follow directions carefully, and go easy on the water the first few times you water afterward.) The most popular chemical of the moment is Imidicloprid, because it has fairly low toxicity to mammals. Once again, that's the name of the chemical, so you could ask for it locally & knowledgeable folks could let you know under what brand/s it's sold in your area. We'd have no reason to lose patience; you ask good questions and give lots of background info to explain your questions! Questions and answers are a big part of the purpose of the forum :) Best of luck!...See MoreBringing them indoors - Insect Control?
Comments (3)One method is to find a large tub that the whole pot will fit in. Fill it with water and submerge the plant, and the pot in the tub. I have never done this, and I would think you may lose some soil. But many gardener's do this. Keep in there for 5-10 minutes. Any bugs will die. The plant will be well watered, but should be fine! No chemicals! I live in MI and I usually bring my pots in very late just before frost, and most insects have left or are dead already....See Morebringing plants indoors without bugs
Comments (2)The only way to really kill them off is freezing or heating the soil in an oven. The best way to deal with this is just to put a bag over the pot and tie it off at the trunk or stem. Of course, that won't work with some bushes. Maybe some DE (Diatomateous Earth) sprinkled over the top and a bit in the drain holes would kill them. That wouldn't do anything about the eggs though....See MoreCleaning/prepping tree to bring indoors
Comments (1)I don't know where you live, but in zone 6 and colder, the trees will have gone dormant and lost a lot of their moisture in December...if Iw ere -pklanning on cutting a tree I would be sure it was well watered before it went dormant. Only once did I have a "yard cut" Christmas tree but it was dryer faster than any other tree ever ever! Any real tree you bring in can have ticks etc....that's just a chance you take...my DH got Rocky Mountain Spotted fever that could have only come from a Christmas tree. I would wash it well before you cut it and hope for the best. Linda C...See Morejohnmerr
9 years agomes111
9 years agopip313
9 years ago
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