Pests & Problems
Spider mites
Spider mites can be one of the most frustrating pests for multiple reasons. They are super common, some plants seem to just have them pop up even if you haven’t introduced any new plants, and they can spread quickly. BUT they aren’t quite as scary as they seem either. I’ve gotten many plants from the store that came with spider mites and I’m able to get rid of them or at the very least contain them. Certain plants just seem prone to these little guys no mater what you do! Specifically plumeria, elephant ears or alocasia, and citrus seem to repeatedly get them. I’ve started to keep any plants showing symptoms (tiny webbing that almost looks like dust initially, leaves loosing color, etc) in a separate area where I mist and shower them regularly. High humidity and regular washing of the leaves can keep them from spreading or doing much damage. So I start with spraying them down every day for 3 days in a row and follow with misting them with 50/50 water and rubbing alcohol for another couple days. That will often get rid of them from thicker leaved plants that are more resistant to spider mites. As for the broad thin leaved plants like elephant ears and plumeria, I may have to come back around and spray those with an alcohol water mix every week to keep them under control or just give them regular showers. I’ve never tried a bug spray I liked. Neem oil often damages plant leaves and so do most of the other bug sprays I’ve tried. Half water and half rubbing alcohol seems to be the best thing for keeping them under control without damaging leaves.
P.S. I have heard to be careful with rubbing alcohol and Hoyas, but I don’t have personal experience with that as none of my Hoyas have gotten spider mites.
Thrips
I hate thrips. Last year I had one plant from a local store that I didn’t isolate after I bought it and it gave thrips to a dozen others around it. It was especially frustrating in the winter when I couldn’t have ample room for separating and treating. I ended up letting 1000 lady bugs loose in my house as a result… the point is that they aren’t contained by just showers or mist and I feel they are a bigger concern than spider mites. Mine disappeared after I had given all my plants a dose of beneficial nematodes and released a few different predatory bugs. Several plants got cut all the way back to the dirt while dealing with them though. Rubbing alcohol and water can also be helpful with these buggers but since some types of thrips lay eggs in the soil, beneficial nematodes help keep them from reproducing.
Fungus
Another problem I’ve seen people have with their plants is when growth seems to be stunted or the whole plant is inexplicably going downhill. Then when you pull the plant out of the pot its soil is covered in a yellow or white mold or fungus. I’m honestly not 100% sure where it comes from and don’t feel the need to look it up for y’all but obviously soil staying moist can increase its likelihood and it seems to me like it happens more with certain soil types. I personally think using terracotta pots and having plenty of aerators mixed into your soil seem to help reduce it.
How I’ve treated fungus in the past is to start with removing as much of the fungus as possible without damaging the roots. Then I sprinkle the whole root ball with ground cinnamon before repotting. I might also spray the root ball with neem oil and spray the inside of the pot with alcohol or neem oil. This has cleared up any cases I’ve seen of it!
There are many more pests than what I’ve listed but these are the only ones I’ve dealt much with and can give personal suggestions for.
I would never sell a plant that I knew had a pest or problem and thoroughly check any plants before bringing them to the shop. But I do always suggest isolating new plants as a precaution.
If you buy one of my plants and see pests or fungus within 3 days of purchase, please contact me and I’ll have you bring it back to the shop for a refund or replacement once I verify the issue. Unfortunately I can not guarantee life after it leaves my care and will not refund or replace for death.