Question
QUESTION: Hello Will,

I've been perusing your many answers to such a wide variety of questions and am impressed! I hope you will be able to help me, too.

Most of the plant pest remedies seem to require killing the pests with alcohol/water/dish soap solutions. While I'm sure that is an effect remedy, it is not one that I can use as someone who respects all life. Can you please recommend a more holistic approach that doesn't require me to kill the critters, only to encourage them to leave my plants (and home) or discourage them from establishing residence at all?

Thank you very much for your help.

Samantha

ANSWER: Hi Samantha,

The best remedy that is consistent with your concerns is prevention or keeping plant pests out of your home in the first place. Use only high quality plants that you inspect very carefully with a magnifier to make sure there are no pests on the plants before you bring them home. Then, you must be very careful to keep your plants healthy so their natural immune systems will allow them to resist any plant pests that might materialize. That means you will have to understand pot size, soil quality, nutrient needs, and light and water requirements of all your plants so you can keep them healthy.

If despite your best efforts, one of your plants develops a pest infestation there is nothing that will entice the critters to leave you home on their own volition. There may be another species of plant that they find more desirable, but that will not get them out of your home. You could move the infested plant outside, but in the colder months that would be tantamount to killing them with cold.

Finally, I offer up to you that in nature most insects have very short natural life spans and most have natural predators that do not share your ethical concerns about respecting all life. They prey on insects as a matter of survival. Natural plant pest predators are available online and can be introduced to infested plants. The predators are often inconspicuous and keep the plant pest population under control by consuming them.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com
or email me at [email protected] or call me at 917-887-8601 (EST)
 
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you, Will, for your response. If I may ask a follow-up question, will you please steer me in the direction of what kind of natural plant predators I should be looking for?

Thanks,
Sam

Answer
Hi Sam,

Thank you for the top ratings. Much appreciated!

Here is a website that will interest you.

http://greenmethods.com/site/

It has lots of good information on bio-controls of plant pests. It explains which predators are best suited in a variety of situations and they will also supply them, for a price, of course.

Good luck in your efforts to deal with plant pests in a humane manner.

Regards,
~Will

P.S. Do I know you from somewhere else?