What is wrong with my house plant?

What is wrong with my house plant?

If the leaves of your plant are turning yellow and dropping off, you need to inspect further for signs of insects.

If the leaves your plants are sticky and covered with very small white (or colored) specs, then you most likely are infested with aphids, spiders, mites, armored scale, scale, or even whiteflies.

If you catch the infestation in time, you can save the plant. You can first try to shower the plant with a mild dishwashing liquid such as Dawn or Ivory and remove all the signs of eggs, larvae, and insects. This will take a few tries so be vigilant. There are certain houseplants that are very suspectible to infestations (such as Gardenias, Tropical Hibiscus, and any plant you bring indoors from being outdoors).

I am battling a repeated infestation on my Gardenia for 2 months now and have used organic pest spray and repeated showers. I believe the culprit is my Schefflera which may harboring the pests (which shows no distress or signs of infestation). Some pests are very hard to see and since the Schefflera is the closest plant to the Gardenia I just sprayed him again (he is too heavy for me to lug upstairs to the shower). I have treated both the plants repeatedly and honestly plant infestations are something that you must repeat.

Taking care of your house plants means being vigilant about pest control. Do not lose hope because if you catch the infestation in time hopefully you can save your plants. Thank you for stopping by and if you ever have a question or a helpful tip to share, feel free to leave a message.