Plant Care
7 Indoor Gardening Supplies To Keep Plants Lush & Healthy
Many think that houseplants are immune to common garden pests and diseases like fungus gnats, mites, powdery mildew, and black spot. But these diseases can spread among indoor plants just as easily, especially if you’re regularly adding new botanicals into your space.
Houseplant pests and diseases are typically introduced when a plant parent unknowingly brings home an infected plant, which then spreads the mildew, insects, or blight to your surrounding plant babies. To avoid this altogether, considering isolating a new potted plant for a few weeks to make sure it’s healthy and disease-free before placing it near other plants.
What’s more, proper care including fertilizing your plants during the spring and summer months can also make them strong, healthy, and better equipped to overcome diseases and pests.
Of course, you can take all precautionary measures possible and still end up with an infected plant — it’s a reality of gardening and plant ownership. So we stocked our plant care shop with top-rated all-purpose houseplant fertilizers, fungicides, insecticidal sprays to keep your plants healthy and thriving.
Indoor Gardening Essentials
Time Release ClassiCote Fertilizer
If you’re concerned about your fertilizer washing away during waterings, consider a hardy time-release variety. Jack’s ClassiCote fertilizer includes phosphorus, magnesium, and crystalline compounds that provide continuous sustenance over the course of four months.
You can either mix this blend thoroughly into the potting soil or sprinkle a thin layer on top of the soil.
Neem Oil
This all-purpose natural insecticide, miticide, and fungicide spray is basically an organic gardening jack-of-all-trades. It utilizes neem seed oil to kill the pests, eggs, and larvae associated with powdery mildew, black spot, downy mildew, leaf spot, and more.
To treat existing disease, thoroughly spray all plant surfaces (including the underside of leaves) until wet, and re-apply every seven days. To stop evolving disease before it takes over the plant, re-apply every seven to 14 days.
Houseplant Sticky Stakes
If your houseplants are infested with whiteflies, fungus gnats, blackflies, thrips, fruit flies, or midges, try Safer Brand’s houseplant sticky stakes. Each green stake features three to four sticky yellow strips that attract plant pests like magnets without the use of harmful pesticides.
Simply stick one into the soil and gently shake the plant to release any pests and encourage them to swarm the strips. When the strips are full, toss the stake and replace with a fresh one.
Houseplant Special Fertilizer
To give your flowering and foliage houseplants the royal treatment, pick up a tub of Jack’s Special Fertilizer designed for Philodendrons, Pothos, Ficus, Spathiphyllum, Dracaenas, Schefflera, palms, spider plants, and Aglaonema.
This top-rated fertilizer was specially formulated for houseplants to keep nutrient levels consistent, preventing nutrient stress from over or under-feeding.
Liquid Copper Fungicide
Fungal issues like black spot, powdery mildew, downy mildew, and early blight can be difficult to spot and even more challenging to treat. This liquid copper fungicide is the perfect antidote — it’s affordable, easy to use, and most importantly, effective. Simply spray a thin layer on affected leaves and stems until wet, and reapply every seven to 10 days.
Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew
Meet your one-and-done solution to bagworms, borers, beetles, caterpillars, codling moth, gypsy moth, loopers, leaf miners, spider mites, tent caterpillars, thrips, and more.
Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew is formulated with Spinosad, a natural substance suitable for organic gardening made by a soil bacterium that kills insects on your plant’s leaves and roots with ease.
Insecticidal Soap
Formulated with Garden Safe® Insecticidal Soap, this convenient spray kills aphids, mealybugs, mites, leafhoppers, psyllids, scale insects, thrips, and whiteflies on contact without traditional chemicals. The trusted brand has been creating natural and botanically-derived formulas sans traditional gardening chemicals since 2002.
To use, shake the container thoroughly and spray pests or mildew directly for best results. Spray all parts of the plant until wet, including the underside of leaves and stems.
