Give your potted plants a check up
Plants all need water, light, and basic care in order to flourish. It's also important to check your potted plants regularly to make sure that they are indeed healthy. Signs of trouble are most noticeable on the leaves of the plant and, fortunately, there are simple solutions for many of these common problems.
Bacterial spots are caused by wet and warm conditions. You will notice small, raised, dark spots on the leaves. To solve this problem, you will need to get rid of the infected plants and use a fungicide. Bacterial blight is caused by cool, wet conditions and you will notice large yellow spots on the leaves. These spots eventually turn brown. Remove any plants with this particular problem and make sure that your plants are all properly spaced apart to prevent diseases from spreading.
Black rot root is caused by cool damp soil. You will notice the plant will deteriorate above the soil while, down below, the roots will turn black. There's no real treatment but you can prevent this by using the appropriate fungicide.
Aphids are another common problem and they can get out of hand very quickly. They seek out warm environment with high levels of nitrogen. Look for them along the stems and under the leaves. These tiny bugs are yellow or green and you can get rid of them by wiping your plants down with mild soapy water or rubbing alcohol. The Cucumber Mosaic Virus is caused by aphids and it looks like yellow spots or streaks on the leaves. Once this virus sets in, the plant will need to be discarded and you must inspect all of your other plants for possible aphid infestation.
Spider mites are drawn to warm homes and you will notice a fine webbing on the underside of the leaves. Keep any infested plants separate, prune the affected leaves, and wipe the plant with soapy water or apply insecticide. Make sure that the problem has been completely resolved before replacing this plant with the rest.
Mealybugs are attracted to plants that are over watered and high levels of nitrogen in the soil. They are small white bugs and they have a fuzzy coating. Use rubbing alcohol or an insecticide to get rid of these harmful bugs.
