Will indoor plants bring bugs?

[Elle]

Will having indoor plants entice bugs and the like to populate my home? It's not a make or break situation if they do but I would like to be prepared haha. I'm not super squeamish when it comes to insects but, like many others I'm sure, I'm not a big fan of spiders... Especially not the big ones!

 

[MaryMary]

I've never had a problem with the ones that stay inside year-round. A lot of my houseplants live outdoors in the summer, and when it starts getting cold out, I bring them in for the winter. I have learned to check for spiders at the end of summer!!

 

[marlingardener]

Like MaryMary, I let some of our houseplants stay outside for our spring/summer/early autumn, then bring them in. The ones that are small enough I simply dunk in a bucket of tepid soapy (soap, not detergent) water, and after about five minutes rinse them off. I put waxed paper or plastic wrap over the soil to keep it from falling out of the pot, turn the plant upside down, and dunk. After the rise I remove the paper or plastic wrap.
Those that are too large (and there are only two big ones, thank heavens) I spray with a soapy solution on both sides of the leaves and on the stems also, then rinse with plain water after about five minutes. I don't bother with covering the soil since none is going to fall.

 

[ziskasun]

Hi Elle, I have grown a few different types of plans indoor and have experienced some types of "indoor" pests that I was unaware could be a problem. When I planted lettuce and herbs and some micro-greens indoors I noticed that within a few days some tiny "gnats" (similar to the type that might be attracted to fruit left on the counter top) came around and seemed attracted to a source of moisture. It really became quite the nuisance. I tried spraying some water mixed with peppermint oil around the perimeter of the container and that helped somewhat. I also noticed that some ants were attracted to the containers that were self-watering and held water stores in the bottom part of the container. I then switched to containers that just drain into a small drain trays and also tried not to over water so that there would not be standing water there. Hope this helps....good luck with your indoor gardening!

 

[Pat]

I put my plants out for the summer and bring them back in when it starts to get cold outside. I do check the plants for bugs on the leafs and in the soil when I bring the plants back in side.