Pests and problems
3 guides in 2 sections
The small things that turn up on leaves, stems and compost, and how to tell one from another before you treat it. Each guide starts with what you can see, then works through the cause and the fix, gentlest first.
Insects and mites
Dish soap on houseplants: how to use it, and when to leave it aloneHow to make a gentle soap spray from washing-up liquid, which pests it kills, which plants it can scorch, and how to test it on one leaf before you spray the whole plant.
How to get rid of fungus gnats, and why they come backWhat fungus gnats are, why they arrived, why yellow traps never finish them, and the one change to your watering that works.
Spots and crusts
Hard white or brown spots on houseplants: scale or mineral crust?How to tell hard brown scale from white mineral crust and from fungal leaf spots on houseplant leaves, stems and pots, and what to do about each one.