Question
By Accident my local garden center told me I could use a outdoor Systemic liquid on my inside house plants.They both had bugs on them. I have used sprays in the past but I was told this works better. The smell after I used it was horrible. They are both very large and expensive Ferns. One I did thow out, the other one I hate to part with, its a beautiful plant. Its so big,re potting it would be very hard, I can do it, but I was hoping you could tell me if I can add something to the soil that will take away the smell? I'm afraid every time I water it the smell will keep coming back.

Thank you

Answer
Tammy,
I would recommend sprinkling 1 tablespoon of turf lime over the soil and then watering it lightly...Make sure you wet all the lime...Do this 2-3 times over a period of time (No need to add more lime)...You could also sprinkle a little potpourri over the soil...Ferns prefer to be pot bound so don't repot it into a larger pot...If need be take the old pot off and just put another new pot the same size back on it...That will eliminate the smell on the inside of the pot (outside of pot too)...Spray the room periodically with Frabreeze until the smell is no longer detectable...
Good luck and let me know how it works out...
Rick in southern NJ