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NewlyMrs
Laugh-Live-Love LIFE!
Member since 10/06 14432 total posts
Name:
Jennifer
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(live) indoor plants question
Anyone have a good plant food and bug killer?
Thank you!
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Posted 1/13/07 12:30 PM  |
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cjik
Welcome 2010!
Member since 2/06 8879 total posts
Name:
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Re: (live) indoor plants question
What kind of bugs do you have? If they are aphids, they can be hard to get rid of completely. One thing I heard to do (which worked once for me and another time it did not) was to put all of your plants in the shower and run water over them for a few minutes. Then, you spray the leaves with a mixture of water and dish detergent, but be careful not to get too much of this in the soil. That mixture should just dry on the leaves.
The first time I did that it worked like a charm, but the second it did not and some of my plants died anyway. There are poisons out there, but I'd rather try something non-toxic first.
If they are not aphids, I'm not sure there are loads of other bugs out there, but a nursery could tell you what to do.
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| Posted 1/13/07 12:34 PM |
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NewlyMrs
Laugh-Live-Love LIFE!
Member since 10/06 14432 total posts
Name:
Jennifer
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Re: (live) indoor plants question
I don't know what aphids are...but I feel like ever since I repotted the plants, there are a few very tiny flies near them. So I thought I'd spray them with something?
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| Posted 1/13/07 12:38 PM |
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oakslady
LIF Adult
Member since 8/05 969 total posts
Name:
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Re: (live) indoor plants question
the easiest way to clean bugs off plants is put a bit of saran wrap over the pot and the dirt. make sure it is fairly secure - you'll see why in a second. take the plant into the kitchen mix up a solution 2 parts water one part mouthwash ( i like the generic listerine it seems to work the best ) 1 part dish soap and 1 part tobacco ( chewing tobacco or cigar tobacco seem to work the best)
( yes i am not kidding i learned this recipe from a master gardener 10 years ago and it never fails to work)
now invert the plant over the sink and lightly rub the mixture into both sides of the leaves ( for infestations - for preventitive just mist the leaves with the mix) it will kill most bugs and create a barrier that will keep the bugs off for 2 weeks. this also works on plants outside - put the mixture into a sprayer and spray on the plants after each rain it will keep the bugs away.
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| Posted 1/13/07 10:50 PM |
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veeandrich
LIF Infant
Member since 5/06 325 total posts
Name:
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Re: (live) indoor plants question
this is why I have NO plants in my home. They look so nice but I can't stand bugs.
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| Posted 1/14/07 12:24 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: (live) indoor plants question
Posted by cjik
There are poisons out there, but I'd rather try something non-toxic first.
A woman after my own heart.
The bugs you're describing, are they tiny black flies? If so, those are fungus gnats. They are attacted to wet conditions so you're probably keeping your plants too wet. Make sure your plant's pots have drainage holes in the bottom so you can't overwater.
There are yellow sticky papers that will trap them, and then you just throw the paper away when they're gone. I think they're called whitefly traps. This time of year, you'll probably only be able to find them in a nursery.
I've had houseplants for years, and the only pests I've ever had are the fungus gnats and mealy bugs - which I got because a bush outside the window was infested, and I kept the window open too much.
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| Posted 1/14/07 12:48 PM |
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greenfreak
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Member since 9/06 11483 total posts
Name:
greenfreak
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Re: (live) indoor plants question
Posted by oakslady
the easiest way to clean bugs off plants is put a bit of saran wrap over the pot and the dirt. make sure it is fairly secure - you'll see why in a second. take the plant into the kitchen mix up a solution 2 parts water one part mouthwash ( i like the generic listerine it seems to work the best ) 1 part dish soap and 1 part tobacco ( chewing tobacco or cigar tobacco seem to work the best)
( yes i am not kidding i learned this recipe from a master gardener 10 years ago and it never fails to work)
now invert the plant over the sink and lightly rub the mixture into both sides of the leaves ( for infestations - for preventitive just mist the leaves with the mix) it will kill most bugs and create a barrier that will keep the bugs off for 2 weeks. this also works on plants outside - put the mixture into a sprayer and spray on the plants after each rain it will keep the bugs away.
I can see why this would work - the alcohol in the listerine acts as a bug killer, the soap keeps it on the leaves, and the tobacco... Well I don't know what the tobacco does for you. 
In the summer, I make a mixture of Dawn soap (one of my favorite environmentally concious companies), water, and Neem oil which is natural from the Neem tree, and I spray my plants at night.
I do it at night because the mix of oil on the leaves and the sun will cause it more harm.
But I've been bug-free on my outside plants for years this way, and have families of praying mantis and dragonflies who come back every year because I'm not killing them off with chemicals.
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| Posted 1/14/07 12:51 PM |
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