How to Organically Get Rid of Bugs in a House Plant's Soil
Just like outdoor plants, indoor plants can attract their share of bugs. Bugs can live in the plant itself or in the plant’s soil. Using organic means of getting rid of bugs is especially important indoors. Several natural items can be used to organically get rid of bugs on a house plant and in a house plant’s soil.
Use a garlic-based solution to kill aphids and mites that live in a plant’s soil. Squeeze the juice from several cloves of garlic and combine a tablespoon of garlic juice with a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol and stir into twelve cups of water. Spray the solution on right away.
- Just like outdoor plants, indoor plants can attract their share of bugs.
- Several natural items can be used to organically get rid of bugs on a house plant and in a house plant’s soil.
Combine four tablespoons of dish soap and four tablespoons of baking soda and mix into sixteen cups of water. Spray the plant once a week for at least 3 weeks to kill mold, mildew and fungus and get rid of bugs that they attract.
Make a mixture of three drops of dish soap and four tablespoons of starch in four cups of water. Spray the solution over soil to kill aphids, mites, thrips and white flies living in the soil. Rinse any part of the plant that got sprayed, such as the stem or leaves, a few days after the plant is sprayed to remove the solution from the plant.
Mix a teaspoon of mustard powder with a few drops of dish soap in four cups of water. Spray the plant with the mixture to kill aphids, mites and scales.
- Combine four tablespoons of dish soap and four tablespoons of baking soda and mix into sixteen cups of water.
- Spray the plant once a week for at least 3 weeks to kill mold, mildew and fungus and get rid of bugs that they attract.
Create a cinnamon mixture with a one teaspoon of cinnamon and four cups of water. Let the mixture stand until the cinnamon settles into the bottom of the container and pour directly over the soil to kill bugs that are attracted to mildew and crown rot.
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Alexis Lawrence is a freelance writer, filmmaker and photographer with extensive experience in digital video, book publishing and graphic design. An avid traveler, Lawrence has visited at least 10 cities on each inhabitable continent. She has attended several universities and holds a Bachelor of Science in English.