822-Lanc«ster Fanning, Saturday, Novambar 4, 1995
Houseplants Brought In
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) —Those houseplants you’ve
kept outside all summer may be
harboring unwanted guests.
“When bringing plants inside
for the winter, it’s important to
keep them on your porch for a few
days, where they won’t be killed
by a frost and where you can
check them for insects and other
pests,” says Dr. Robert Nuss, pro
fessor of ornamental horticulture
in Penn State’s College of Agri
cultural Sciences. “Even one or
two insects can be the start of an
infestation.”
I*ests to look for ate aphids,
mealybugs, spider mites, white
flies and scale.
Aphids are small, black or
green crawling insects that live in
thick colonies along the soft parts
of stems, sometimes covering
them entirely. They excrete a
sweet liquid called honeydew,
which often attracts ants. “Aphids
are quite destructive,” says Nuss.
“They cause distorted and curled
leaves, malformed flowers, and
hardened buds.”
Mealybugs are about the same
size as aphids but are white and
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fuzzy. Masses of them, resem
bling pieces of cotton, nestle and
lay eggs where leaves and
branches attach to stalks. Mealy
bugs can stunt and kill plants by
depleting their fluids.
White flies also are small and
white, but unlike mealybugs, will
take flight if you shake the plank
“You’ll never find just one white
fly on a plant,” says Nuss. “They
come in quantities and can spread
to all the plants in your house.”
Spide mites are miniscule but
very destructive. An infested plant
will have yellow-speckled leaves
and may be covered with tentlike
webs; “The mites look like grains
of cayenne pepper,” says Nuss.
'“They’re easy to spot if you hold a
piece of white paper under the
plant and shake the leaves so the
mites drop onto the paper.”
Scale appears as blister-like
areas on stems and the undersides
of leaves. These areas can be cir
cular, oyster-shell-shaped or
rectangular and are colored white,
brown, grey or black. Scale also
produces honeydew, which may
drip from the leaves. “Scale seri
ously stunts growth,” says Nuss.
W« Dcllvtr
(olema
For Winter Need Special Attention
“If not treated, it can kill the plant
and spread to other plants.
“With a small infestation, you
may be able to wipe the pests off
with a Q-Tip dipped in alcohol,”
says Nuss. “Rinsing the plant
under a gentle stream of water for
a few minutes can wash away
insects and eggs. Keep checking
the plant for a recurring infesta
tion during the next couple of
weeks.”
It’s also important to gently dig
around the roots and look for pests
in the soil, such as sow bugs, mil
lipedes and slugs. You can remove
most of these by hand, or you may
want to rinse the soil off with a
garden hose and repot the plant in
new soil.
Serious, persistent infestations
can be treated with an insecticidal
soap spray or a multipurpose
insecticide containing a miticide.
Both are available from gardening
centers. “Be careful to follow the
directions on the label exactly,”
says Nuss. “Excess spray can be
toxic to the plant. If you spray too
closely to the leaves, the aerosol
propellant can fieeze them.”
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After spraying, keep the plant in few hours of fu „ sun cvery .
a large plastic bag for a few hows an( j it once a week so it will
to contain and concentrate the grow straight. Fertilize moderate
spray. then isolate it for about two JJ and wat * r only when the soil is
weefa or until you’re sure it’s completely dry. “It’s best even to
pest-free. It also is a good idea to let & ; ilt slightl
follow all Uiese precautions if watering) .. says Nuss . ..^ verwa .
you ve bought a plant or received tering quickly can kill plants.”
one as a gift, says Nuss. Even j s setting your plants outside
well-cared-for nursery plants can worth all y* hassle? < The advan .
" a “ K ? Pests. tages are great,” says Nuss. “Sun-
Fall also is the tune to repot light, rain and warm weather
plants that have been outdoors all
summer. Turn the plant upside
down and tap the bottom of the pot
while supporting the plant. The
roots and soil probably will come
out in one piece. If the roots are
crowded into the shape of the pot,
it’s time to remove the old soil and
move the plant to a pot one size
larger.
If the plant has grown exces
sively, you may want to trim it to
an appropriate indoor size. “Trim
ming can stimulate more growth,
so you might need to do it again
later,” says Nuss.
When the plant is repotted,
trimmed and pest free, place it
inside where it will get at least a
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duce a flush of healthy growth,
and the pests usually are easy to
get rid of. Overall, it’s worth it.”
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