GREEN ​INTERIOR DESIGNS

Aphids

Pest

Yellowing and distorted leaves, stunted growth and an unsightly black sticky substance on the plant may mean that you have aphids.  As they feed, they secrete a sticky substance, called honeydew, which quickly becomes infested with black sooty mold. They also spread viruses, many of which are incurable. For this reason, it’s important to take steps for controlling aphids in the garden.

Mealy Bugs

Pest

Mealybugs will commonly leave a white residue on a plant’s leaves that resembles cotton. You will find this residue mostly on the stems and leaves. This residue is either the egg sacs of the mealybugs or the pests themselves.

You may also find that the plant has a sticky residue on it. This is honeydew and is secreted by the mealybugs. It can also attract ants.

Mealybugs look like small, flat oval white spots on plant leaves. They are also fuzzy or powdery looking.

Scale

Pest

Scale insects thrive in warm, dry environments. The scale bug is small, oval and flat, with a protective tan to brown shell-like covering (scale). Scale generally targets the undersides of leaves and around leaf joints.

Whiteflies

Pest

Whiteflies are the bane of nearly all indoor gardeners. There is a wide range of plants fed on by whiteflies; ornamental plants, vegetables, and houseplants are all affected by them. Their secretions can cause foliage to yellow and die. Controlling whiteflies is difficult but not impossible.

Gnats

Pest

Fungus gnats look like tiny, black flies with grayish transparent wings. The adults are about 1/16-in (.2 cm) long and have long legs and antennae. Being so small, they can enter a home through the tiniest of openings. They sometimes arrive in a newly purchased bag of potting soil. They're more of an annoyance than anything. They are harmless to humans, and unlike many house plant pests, the adult gnats don't feed on plants. They're attracted to moist organic matter such as peat moss and fir bark in many potting mixes, and overwatered plants will draw them...well, like flies.

Two-Spotted Spider Mite

Pest

Mites are not insects but are more closely related to spiders. Since they are extremely small, plant damage is typically the first sign of their presence. A silky web is often seen with heavier infestations.

Thrips

Pest

Thysanoptera, or thrips, are little slender insects that have fringed wings and feed on other insects by puncturing them and sucking out their insides. However, some of them also feed inside the buds and leaves of a plant. This causes distorted parts to the plant or black specks, which is actually the feces from the thrips. Stippled leaves or blossoms that die before opening are also a sign that you may have thrips.

Sooty Mold

Plant Disease

 It is a type of mold that growing in the honeydew or secretion of many common plant pests, such as aphids or scale. The pests cover the leaves of your plant in honeydew and the sooty mold spore lands on the honeydew and begins to reproduce.

Botrytis Blight

Plant Disease

Botrytis blight on plants is caused by Botrytis cinerea, a fungus that attacks tender parts of the plant in the presence of high humidity. Botrytis blight symptoms on flowers include spotting, discoloration and wilting. Buds often fail to open. It may look as though the flowers are old and fading.

Powdery Mildew

Plant Disease

Powdery mildew is a fungus that plagues almost all gardeners. No matter what conditions you live in or how well you tend your garden, chances are you will come across powdery mildew at some point in time. 

Root Rot

Plant Disease

Sometimes if a plant is overwatered, it just doesn’t seem to recover afterwards. The leaves start to get dull andturn yellow and the whole plant seems to be on a slippery slope towards death. You try to correct the watering issue but nothing seems to help. Chances are, your plant is suffering from root rot.

Plant Rust

Plant Disease

Plant rust is a general term that refers to a rather large family of fungi that attack plants. Frequently, when a plant is affected by rust fungi, many gardeners feel at a loss as to what to do. Rust treatment as a plant disease is startling but can be treated.