5 Super Easy Ways to Protect Indoor Plants From Pests

Almost every one of us has at least one indoor plant at home or office, isn’t it? Some people are so fond of plants that they create a home garden, balcony garden, or terrace garden with pot and bloom. 

Placing attractive air purifier plants around the home or office is a wonderfully rewarding act. However, your plants may become invaded by insects and pests at times. This is a depressing circumstance. Pest infestation causes a plant to become unhealthy, with stunted growth, blotches, and other unpleasant effects. It may perish at some point

Many pests may be seen with the naked eye. They can be seen crawling on the leaves. However, there are some pests that are not readily visible to the naked eye. They have the ability to stealthily destroy your plant or weaken its roots, resulting in its demise.

Here are a few strategies to safeguard your indoor plants from pests to avoid this from happening. And, believe it or not, these suggestions are extremely simple!

How to protect your indoor plants from pests

Below we have given some home remedies to prevent plants from pests and insects;

1. Wash leaves of plants with water

The best way to do this is through a spray bottle that softly sprays water on leaves without hurting them. Do this once or twice a week. In case you find insects sticking to the leaves or stem, wash them till they are washed off. You can also use toothpicks or toothbrushes to brush off insects like mealybugs and aphids that are too stubborn to get washed off simply with water.  

2. Use a pesticide 

In case you find black insects on your plant, you must get a pesticide from the market. If you do not want to use toxic chemicals, then you can prepare an effective insecticide at home using neem oil.  

How to prepare: 

Mix 4-5 drops of neem oil in one-litre water. Add a drop of shampoo to the mixture. Use this solution to spray on infested leaves. Those ghastly-looking insects will vanish within a few days.  

3. Use baking soda 

Baking soda is effective in dealing with fungal diseases and certain pests on the leaves. It is easy to prepare a homemade insecticide and fungicide using baking soda.  

How to prepare: 

Take 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon neem oil. Add them both in one litre of water. Spray this solution at the infested areas of the plant to get rid of pests.

4. Red chilli powder

Red chilli powder is used in severe infestation cases of pests in plants.  

How to prepare: 

2 tbsp red chilli powder, 6-7 drops liquid detergent Pour four litres of water over them. Allow this solution to sit on your skin overnight. Then, pour the solution into a spray bottle and squirt it on the plant's affected areas.

You'll notice that the bugs are gone in a day or two. In fact, customers who have used this spray claim that the pests are gone after just one application.

5. Neem

Neem is a highly effective natural pesticide. They're absolutely safe and effective at preventing pest infestations in indoor plants.

How to prepare: 

Neem leaves should be soaked in water overnight. Boil the water with neem leaves correctly the next morning. Remove the leaves and set aside to allow the water to cool. This water should be sprayed on the plant. This neem spray should be used twice a week.

When your plant is infested with pests, immediately do the following things: 

• To prevent the insect from spreading to healthy plants, keep the afflicted plant away from others. Keep a watch on the rest of your plants to see whether they've been infected.

• Clean the area around the plant as well. Use an alcohol or detergent solution for this.

• Test the detergent solution on a single leaf to see if the plant can withstand it before using it. It's similar to how we do a patch test to test new skincare products.

• Also, check your garden tools for pests. Pests are notorious for hiding in the nooks and crevices of garden tools and other equipment.

Simply follow the steps outlined above and employ the suggested remedies. Pests will be eradicated from your plants, and they will restore their health and beauty. Last but not least, after handling contaminated plants, always wash your hands.

(Also read about the top 10 Indoor Plants to Get Rid of Pollutants Inside Your House.)