At the latest when there is crawling in or on the potting soil in the pot or masses of small flying insects are buzzing around the plant, it is time to start dealing with pest control.
Springtails don't actually harm the plant
What animals can damage plants grown in potting soil?
In addition to fungi, bacteria and other germs, various insects can be responsible for the poor growth or even death of potted plants. In most cases, these are sciarid larvae, springtails, lily beetles or root mites.
sciarid larvae
These pests are already introduced with the potting soil. The larvae develop unnoticed in the soil.
You only become aware of the pest infestation when the adult animals buzz around the plant in their hundreds. The affected plant soon shows an unmistakable picture of damage. As the larvae gnaw on the roots of the young plants, the leaves grow stunted and wither. If no countermeasures are taken, the plant will die.
Fungus gnat larvae can be controlled biologically with nematodes, for example. The beneficial insects (small nematodes) do their job very well with a light infestation.
A simple home remedy is matches that are stuck head first into the potting soil. The sulfur is poisonous to the larvae.
springtails
They are natural soil dwellers that decompose organic matter. They become annoying when they appear in large numbers and damage the roots of the plants due to a lack of food. Springtails can be effectively controlled by dipping the affected plant. After about half an hour, the animals swim to the surface and can be removed. The plant is not watered until the substrate has dried. After that it should be watered sparingly.
root mites
Root mites live in moist soil and damage the plant roots here. The best way to get rid of the animals is to repot the plant.
Lily beetle larvae
These are small red beetles whose larvae live in the potting soil. They eat the leaves and stems of the plant until it dies. Instead of using an insecticide, treat the plant with a soft soap solution.
- Dissolve 30 g of soft soap (€44.90) in 1 liter of water.
- Add 2 teaspoons of ethanol or organic spirits.
- Pour the solution into a spray bottle.
- Mist the plant daily for a long period of time.
- The pests should be dead after three days. Collect the dead animals.