Grow Guides / Plant health

Common grow pests. Clearer IPM.

A prevention-first field guide for noticing common indoor and home-grow pests, finding where they live, and choosing a proportionate next step. Use it to organize an inspection—not as a diagnosis or a promise of eradication.

Match pest to location

Before a control

Find the pest's address.

The same-looking damage can start from a pest, watering stress, nutrient imbalance, root-zone trouble, or environment. Identification begins with the plant zone and the pattern over time—not just a single symptom.

Read the IPM response guide

Canopy

Leaf undersides, tender growth, and inner branches hold early clues.

Crevices

Stem joints, pot rims, labels, and trellis contact points hide protected pests.

Media

Wet surfaces, debris, drainage areas, and algae can sustain pest life cycles.

Surroundings

Intakes, adjacent plants, benches, and tools can carry activity forward.

Pest-to-action matrix

Read the signal. Start at the source.

These cards are a practical triage map. Begin with sanitation, inspection, isolation, and environmental correction; escalate based on confirmed pressure, plant stage, and applicable product labels or local guidance.

01 / common issue

Fungus gnats

Primary location: Media surface, drainage area, and damp organic debris
Monitoring signal: Small dark adults near media; yellow sticky traps begin catching more adults.
Recognizable signs: Adults rise when pots are moved. Seedlings or rooted plants may look stalled when larvae are active around roots.
Inspect next: Check the top layer of media, pot rims, saucers, drain holes, algae, standing water, and the wetness pattern between irrigations.

Appropriate IPM stack

Let the source conditions guide the response: improve drainage and dry-back where appropriate, remove debris and standing water, then use traps to watch the trend. For soil or media-dwelling larvae, beneficial nematodes may be an appropriate root-zone option when used according to the product label. A neem-and-peppermint-style spray can support foliage and non-electrical surrounding-surface sanitation where suitable, but does not replace correcting consistently wet media.

Not a substitute for source control

Sticky traps, surface spray, and a dry barrier do not resolve a persistently wet breeding zone on their own.

02 / common issue

Spider mites

Primary location: Leaf undersides, tender growth, and plant-to-plant contact points
Monitoring signal: Fine pale stippling, tiny moving specks under leaves, or webbing as pressure increases.
Recognizable signs: Leaves can look dusty, stippled, bronzed, or stressed before webbing becomes obvious.
Inspect next: Use a hand lens on leaf undersides, petioles, branch joints, trellis contact points, and nearby plants. Check more than one canopy level.

Appropriate IPM stack

Isolate the plant if practical, remove heavily affected material carefully, clean the space, and tighten your inspection cadence. Correct heat, drought stress, crowding, or airflow gaps that can compound plant stress. Escalate only with products and methods suitable for the crop stage and label, while protecting beneficial organisms.

Not a substitute for source control

A single foliar application or removing one visibly damaged leaf is not a substitute for repeat scouting and containment.

03 / common issue

Thrips

Primary location: New growth, leaf undersides, flowers, folds, and nearby weeds or incoming plants
Monitoring signal: Silvery scarring, distorted tender growth, and tiny dark frass marks near damaged tissue.
Recognizable signs: Damage often appears as scraped-looking silver patches or uneven growth rather than round chewing holes.
Inspect next: Check fresh leaves, folded growth, leaf undersides, flowers, sticky cards, and plant material near doors or intakes.

Appropriate IPM stack

Isolate arrivals, remove plant debris, inspect adjacent plants, and use cards to track whether activity is expanding. Improve sanitation around the space and use a crop- and stage-appropriate labeled response only after confirming the likely pest. Keep follow-up checks focused on new growth, where missed life stages may show again.

Not a substitute for source control

Traps help reveal flight activity; they do not address larvae feeding within protected plant tissue.

04 / common issue

Aphids

Primary location: Soft new growth, leaf undersides, stem junctions, and crowded tips
Monitoring signal: Clusters of soft-bodied insects, sticky honeydew, shed skins, or curling new growth.
Recognizable signs: Look for clustered insects on tender tissue and shiny residue that can later collect dust or support sooty growth.
Inspect next: Separate new growth, inspect leaf undersides and stem joints, and check neighboring plants before moving tools or hands between them.

Appropriate IPM stack

Isolate affected plants, physically remove or prune heavily infested non-flowering tissue when appropriate, clean honeydew from surrounding surfaces, and reduce crowding that makes inspection difficult. Use targeted, label-directed controls only where suitable for the crop stage, then scout the regrowth.

Not a substitute for source control

A fragrant spray or one cleanup pass is not a substitute for checking protected tips and the plants beside them.

05 / common issue

Whiteflies

Primary location: Leaf undersides, warm canopy pockets, and closely packed plants
Monitoring signal: Small white adults flutter when foliage is disturbed; cards near the canopy catch a rising trend.
Recognizable signs: Leaves may show yellowing, sticky honeydew, and a flutter of adults when you lift or shake a branch.
Inspect next: Gently turn leaves over, especially lower and inner canopy leaves. Inspect intake-side plants and any new or recently moved plants.

Appropriate IPM stack

Separate affected plants where possible, remove debris, open congested canopy areas, and use sticky traps to establish whether adult activity is growing or declining. Follow the IPM sequence—scout, correct site conditions, then select only crop-stage-appropriate labeled controls if escalation is needed.

Not a substitute for source control

Catching adults does not replace inspecting eggs and immature stages beneath leaves.

06 / common issue

Mealybugs & scale

Primary location: Stem junctions, leaf axils, undersides, pot rims, and sheltered crevices
Monitoring signal: Cottony wax, firm bumps, honeydew, or ants visiting a plant in an otherwise clean space.
Recognizable signs: Mealybugs can look like tiny white cottony clusters; scale may resemble fixed bumps on stems or leaf veins.
Inspect next: Look into branch crotches, beneath pots and labels, along stems, and around nearby hardscape where crawlers or honeydew may be missed.

Appropriate IPM stack

Isolate early, inspect the whole plant and nearby plants, remove affected material carefully where appropriate, and clean tools, benches, and pot exteriors. Repeat inspection matters because protected crevices can shelter pests. Seek locally appropriate, label-directed advice if pressure is established or spreading.

Not a substitute for source control

Surface cleaning alone does not reach protected insects in plant crevices or hidden crawlers.

07 / common issue

Root-zone pests & larvae

Primary location: Media, root zone, saucers, drain holes, and decomposing organic material
Monitoring signal: Media-dwelling larvae, slowed vigor, recurring adults, or root stress that follows consistently wet conditions.
Recognizable signs: Above-ground symptoms can resemble watering, root health, or nutrient issues, so do not assume an insect cause from leaf symptoms alone.
Inspect next: Review irrigation timing, drainage, odor, algae, root-zone debris, and visible larvae near the media surface or drain holes. Compare with a healthy plant before acting.

Appropriate IPM stack

Correct wet, compacted, or debris-filled source conditions first. For appropriate soil or media-dwelling larvae, beneficial nematodes can be a root-zone treatment option; follow the specific product label for storage, handling, water quality, and application. Keep monitoring adult trends and root-zone conditions after use.

Not a substitute for source control

Nematodes are not a foliage treatment, and any root-zone product is not a substitute for correcting chronic over-wet conditions.

Monitoring, not treatment

Sticky traps tell you where to look next.

Place traps near the canopy to watch flying activity and near the media to watch root-zone-associated adults. Check catches on a consistent schedule and compare the trend: a rise should trigger closer inspection of the plant zone and breeding conditions; a decline helps you judge whether source controls are working. Sticky traps are monitoring tools, not standalone treatment.

Location matters

Match the control to the zone.

Diatomaceous earth: use as a dry-surface or barrier measure only. Keep it dry, do not apply it to foliage, avoid breathing the dust, and do not treat it as a wet-medium solution.
Beneficial nematodes: an option for appropriate soil or media-dwelling larvae in the medium or root zone. Follow the individual product's label for storage, handling, water, and application directions.
Spray: a neem-and-peppermint-style spray may support fungus-gnat management on foliage and suitable non-electrical surrounding surfaces. It is not a replacement for addressing wet media or breeding conditions.

Review spray safety and recipe

Safety & escalation

A careful response protects the grow.

Follow product labels and applicable local rules. Avoid spraying flowering buds or consumable flower, patch-test a small area, and apply around lights-out as outlined in the IPM guide. Keep sprays away from electrical equipment and do not combine products unless their labels allow it. When pressure is spreading, plant health is declining, or identification remains uncertain, seek locally appropriate horticultural or extension support.

When to scan

Document unclear changes before acting.

Use a photo scan to document leaf damage, webbing, stippling, curl, or a confusing change in vigor. A scan can help capture what you are seeing and support your next inspection; it does not definitively identify a pest or replace hands-on scouting.

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