Cleaning, Debugging and Fungus

Plants like this Draceana need to have the
whole leaf removed back to the trunk.

Summer is around the corner and when you start the deep cleaning of Spring you should not forget your plants.  Outside you are pruning dead branches and clean beds.  Inside you should be doing the same.  Plants need to be washed down, trimmed, re potted and checked over for infestation or disease. 

Start With Washing 

Most plants can be washed down with mild soapy water using dish detergent or Ivory Snow Laundry Detergent. Be sure to wash both the top and especially the bottom of each leaf.  The dust on the top effects the plants ability to use the sunlight and the bottom is where the plant breaths. Also, the bottom of the leaves are where bugs will usually lay their eggs.  Remove any dead leaves. Plants that have no leaf stems such as the Draceana marginata or the Draceana fragrans (corn plant pictured in a previous blog) should have the complete leaf removed back to the main trunk. This step is important because the crevices make great hiding places for bugs. Furry plants like African Violets can be turned upside-down and and gently swished in a bath of soapy water.  Before doing this, be sure to brush off any heavy dirt with a soft clean paintbrush and water to keep planting medium intact.  Light airy medium may have to be covered.  (You are only placing the upper plant in the water, no the whole pot.)  Place wet plant in an area that has a gentle breeze to help dry the leaves.  Do not put in the sun because the trapped water on the leaves will act as a magnifying glass and burn them.



What to Look For

This is the horror we sometimes find on our houseplants. There are two 

infestations here.  One is the Aphid  and the other is white fly.  This is

a beautiful Bougainvillea that has  been attacked.  Both of these bugs 

love tender new growth so the first thing to do is to cut off the new 

growth.  Be sure too dispose of all infested cuttings into a bag before

any of the bugs escape to new branches.

 

Long winters with dry heat are notorious causes of disease and infestation so as you are washing look for some of these tell tale signs.  Small black or grey spots may be the beginning of scale.  White cotton looking spots are mealy bugs.  Small hard to see webs very near the stem joints are spider mite webs.  Little green bugs that cover new growth and blossom buds are usually aphids.  I have included an image link for you to check out to see some pictures of common houseplant bugs .  From there you can link into different areas to learn more about what you may be encountering

Combating Infestation

Scale found on a Bromeliad.  This is very

hard to deal with as the scale will hide in 

all the little crevasses. This will take 

great diligence to eradicate it. It is 

probably best to find a clean pup (small 

growth on the side) that is not yet

affected and throw out the rest.  

The plants that are most affected by the infestation should be quarantined from the others and watched more closely.  Chemicals in the home should not be your first choice of action and many of these can bugs can be eliminated with a simple soap and water bath when caught early.   If you have scale, you may need to use your nail or a soft nylon brush to remove the outer shell encasing the bug.  Strong sprays of water will help knock the aphids off the infested plant.  (Be sure to do this over the sink or outside so that the aphids will not land on another plant.)  Spider mites hate moist conditions so after washing be sure to mist you plant every day.  Though simple soap and water will take care of most problems it should be noted that it is not a once and done situation.  You will need to take special care to watch for continued problems.  There are mild insecticides available at you local garden center for quicker results or if you have an infestation you cannot handle.  Please be sure to read the label on how to use and and take the precautions seriously before you use them. If you have found an infestation of one kind of bug you should look for more.  It just makes sense that if conditions are right for one bug it may be just right for another. 

This is scale on a Jade Plant.  The

fleshy leaves make it much harder to

spot.  The best treatment is a

systemic pesticide.

Disease

I don't have a lot to say about disease.  Many times it is caused by one of three things.  First and foremost is air flow.  Just like you, if plant does not get fresh air it will become more susceptible to virus and fungus.  This could be easily rectified by make sure you do not create the second problem which is over crowding.  Plants that are too close together will not get the circulation they need and also, become more prone to coming down with the same disease as their neighbors.  Lastly, fungus can be caused by poor watering practices.  Crown rot is very common in houseplants and this is caused by water sitting in the crown of the plant for too long. (The crown is the top of the plant were leaves emerge such as the African Violet.)  To help combat this, people are told to water plants that are prone to crown rot from the bottom and it works quite well.  Another way to combat disease from watering is to be sure that you water during the day so the plant has time to dry its leaves before nightfall.  Here again is the need for good circulation and no overcrowding.  You can see that these three causes of disease are all intertwined.  Break one rule and the whole system breaks.  If you do find yourself with fungus, a simple home remedy that I learned from my orchid people is cinnamon.  Cinnamon has fungicide properties but be sure that you do not use too much and smother your plant.  Safe fungicides are also available at your neighborhood garden center for your convenience.

That is all for today,  Hope this posting was helpful.  If you have any questions, be sure to add a comments or email me at houseplantsos@gmail.com . Sign up for my mailing list and you can easily receive each new posting.

k.k.jones