Indoor Gardening (7 page)

The readymade potting mix soils that you buy at the garden stores are disinfected and hence healthy. These soils are not likely to carry any disease or eggs of pests that could in the future attack your plants. Alternatively, you may use self-made organic composting methods, mulching and top-dressing of your soil with compost or natural fertilizer to grow healthy and vigorous plants.

3.
S
EAWEED MULCH OR SPRAY

Seaweed is a natural pest preventive; it also contains a number of trace elements such as barium, iron, calcium, zinc, sulfur and magnesium, which would ensure best growth in your plants. You may use seaweed fertilizer in mulch or spray form to ensure good growth and ensure that your plants have enough strength to resist disease.

4.
M
INIMIZE
I
NSECT
H
ABITAT

Keep the area where your indoor garden is clean for any type of dirt can easily become a breeding place for plant pests. Always use clean mulch.

5.
K
EEP
F
OLIAGE
D
RY

As much as possible, try keeping the foliage of your plants dry. Wet foliage attracts insects and fungus formation which will damage your plants.

6.
D
ISINFECT

Every time you touch a sick plant disinfect your hands before touching a healthy one. You also need to disinfect all your tools if you found any of your plants under attack of pests or any disease. This will prevent spreading the problem to other healthy plants.

T
HREE
M
OST
C
OMMON
P
ESTS
I
N
I
NDOOR
G
ARDENS

There are many pests out there, but the good thing about indoor gardens is that you would be able to leave most of them outside. Nonetheless, there are a few which would be able to get to your garden indoors, too. Here are the three most common among these:

I.
M
ITES

There are three types of mites that are commonly found in indoor gardens and these are spider mites, spotted mites and black mites. The mites are very small pests, but are powerful and very harmful for they live in colonies. These are in fact, one of the worst types of indoor garden pests. If they find the conditions suitable, you will have over 10,000 mites from just 10 in less than a month. Mites kill the plants by sucking their sap; they bite into veins of the leaves, mostly on the underside where they cannot be seen easily. As it is, they are so tiny in size that it is very difficult to see them until the plant shows symptoms of sickness.

Closeup photo of a mite pest.

The attacked leaves will have tiny dots on their underside if you care to look closely. Use magnifying glass when you are in doubt so you could make a correct diagnosis. Start your inspection by checking the undersides of the leaves; that is where they would colonize.

2.
T
HRIPS

Like mites, thrips too are so tiny that they are almost impossible to identify with the naked eye. This is why in most cases they go unnoticed until the plant wilts. Like mites, thrips too are sap-suckers. An important telltale sign is the shiny deposit they leave on the leaves of the plants. Unlike mites, which have a round shape, thrips are oval;  they look just like a grain of rice. A good thing about these pests is that they do not multiply as fast as the mites do.

3. Fungus Gnats

An adult fungus gnat.

This insect is quite visible, even though it is small in size. It is easy to notice them because they would be flying around here and there. At the first glance, they appear to be totally black. It is important to know that this pest spends the first part of its life inside the soil.

A fungus gnat larva.

The gnat larvae’s first source of food is the roots of your  plants, and other organic matter they find inside the soil. This is why it is disinfected and made sterile before you pot your plants. Fortunately, the fungus gnats are happier with hydroponics than with soil. As soon as they mature into flying adults, they start laying more eggs in your soil and very soon you will have an epidemic on your hands if you do not check it in time.

H
OMEMADE
R
EMEDIES
F
OR
P
EST
C
ONTROL

The best way to fight pest infestations is with organic pesticides, which you can buy from your garden stores. Alternatively you can use some very simple to make yet very effective homemade pest control formulas!

1.
F
OR
M
ITES,
A
PHIDS AND
M
EALY
B
UGS)

Mix two teaspoons of canola oil (4 teaspoons of cayenne pepper or hot pepper sauce) and 4-5 drops of Dr. Bronner’s soap into a quart of water. Put the mix into a spray bottle shake well and spray on the underside of the leaves of the plant. Remember, the mites live mostly underneath the leaves.

2.
F
OR
M
ILDEW

Mix water and milk in equal proportions. Pour in a spray bottle and spray it on the affected plant 3-4 times weekly.

3.
F
OR
F
UNGUS AND
O
THER
I
NSECTS

Mix 4 teaspoons of baking soda into a quart of water and spray the mix on the plant every alternate day.

Make a mix with two teaspoons of cooking oil, 4 teaspoons of baking soda, 4-5 drops of Dr. Bronner’s plain soap and a quart of water. Spray the affected plant every 2-3 days.

4.
F
OR
M
ITES,
G
NATS AND
M
OST
O
THER
P
REDATORY
I
NSECTS

This is one of the drastic yet very effective methods to counter the pest problem. Buy predatory nematodes (quite inexpensive) and transfer them to your plants through watering it over the plants. Once they reach the soil, these predatory nematodes will kill all the thrip, mites, larvae, and gnats they find.

Diatomaceous Earth is another thing you could use to fight infestation of pests. This is a mix of silica dioxide, which – if you look at it under microscope – looks like razor blades. What you need to do is dust the leaves of your plants with this mix. Make sure to wet the leaves a little so the dust will stick properly. When the pests would want to bite, they would cut themselves and die.

P
REVENTING
F
UNGUS AND
M
OLD IN
Y
OUR
I
NDOOR
G
ARDEN

Fungi are wonderful organisms and they’re responsible for most of life on Earth (there would be no soil without the fungi!). But certain types of fungi can infect your garden above the soil (this is known as foliar fungus) and below the soil (this is known as soil born fungus). The best way to control fungus is prevention. However, when fungus and mold gets out of control you can treat it with a good organic fungicide.

1.
F
OLIAR
F
UNGUS

This type of fungus will attack the leaves and stems of a plant. They will appear as dark spots or splotches on the foliage. These forms of fungus are common when you use cold water to water your plants. It is best to use warm (tepid) water for your plants especially when you are misting the leaves of your plants. It can also be caused when the humidity crosses over 60%. You will know that your plants are affected by the dark spots that appear on the leaves.