Whether you are growing tomatoes and other garden vegetables outside in your summer garden, growing beautiful and overflowing annual flower baskets to adorn your front porch, or have the inside of your house filled with lush and tropical houseplants, pests will always find their way to your plants at one point or another. And when they do, the threat is real! It can be very hard to catch pests early, as they are often very small or camouflaged as something else. This makes it so that often, by the time you catch on to the fact that your plants have pests, they are very established and are beginning to take over your plant, sucking the life out of it in the process. No matter what plant is being affected, it is truly devastating when all your hard work and care gets devoured by some ungrateful little insects. So, we are here to outline some common pesticides that may be just what you need to help fend off these nasty little creatures.
Pest Control for Your Garden | Pest Control for Your Houseplants | Pest Control for Your Annual & Perennial Flowers | Pest Control for Your Trees & Shrubs
Pest Control Products for Your Garden
When treating your garden for pests, it is very important to use an organic solution. Many insecticides and pesticides are systemic, meaning they are intended to be soaked up by the plant and stored within the fruit and leaves of the plant so that when a pest begins to munch away, it ingests the poison and kills the vermin. And while there is not a high enough concentration of the chemicals in the fruit of the plant to severely or noticeably do harm to a human, it is still poison and is not healthy to ingest fruits and vegetables that have had any sort of systemic treatment. So, to avoid ingesting little bits of poison when consuming your home-grown fruits and vegetables, make sure to use organic products as much as possible, and if you have to use a chemical, make sure it is not a systemic treatment and be sure to wash your produce thoroughly before consuming! Organic products may not have as definitive of an effect, but it will protect your plant while also protecting yourself and your family from harmful substances. Some of the most highly recommended pest control products that are safe to use in your garden are as follows:
This organic brand of garden insect control contains ingredients that are not only safe for use on plants that are intended to be eaten, but it is also safe to use around people and pets and is also very effective in controlling the population of unwanted insects in your garden.
Neem oil is offered by a large number of different brands, giving you lots of options. Four of our top recommendations are Monterey Neem Oil, Garden Safe Neem Oil Extract Concentrate, and Bonide Neem Oil. Neem oil is a naturally occurring substance that can be found in the seeds of neem trees, which are evergreen trees that are native to India. This natural pesticide is often a yellowish-brown color that is bitter to taste and smells of garlic and sulfur.
This product is fantastic for pest control as well as disease prevention, and it can be used all year round on a large number of different plants including fruit trees, shade trees, shrubs, perennials, roses, and garden vegetables! The active ingredient in this organic product is mineral oil, which leaves no toxic residue, is approved for organic gardening, and is safe to use around people and pets.
This product is also highly recommended. It is an organic substance that is actually derived from a relative of chrysanthemums (mums) and is highly effective on garden fruits and vegetables as well as ornamental plants and flowers.
This 3-in-1 garden spray works as a fungicide, insecticide, and miticide, making it effective on fungus and disease as well as insect control and prevention. Also approved for organic gardening, this is a wonderful product if you have several ailments that need to be remedied at the same time.
Pest Control Products for Your Houseplants
Whether you believe it or not, indoor plants can be just as susceptible to pests and unwanted insects as your outdoor plants! Some of the most common indoor houseplant pests include spider mites, scale, mealybugs, aphids, thrips, whitefly, and fungus gnats. Any one of these pests can devastate a tender houseplant if not caught early enough. At Bath Garden Center, we recommend using organic products, as you will be using these products within your home and it is never ideal to expose yourself to more chemicals than necessary. We understand that chemical products may be preferred or even necessary in some cases, however here are some healthier options for you to try before taking the chemical route.
Neem oil, as mentioned above, is a naturally occurring substance that kills insects by coating their bodies in oil, blocking the openings through which they breathe, causing them to suffocate. We carry several different brands of neem oil, including Bonide and Monterey brands. This is the product that we recommend highest, as it is organic and highly effective.
Insecticidal soaps are also highly recommended as they kill insects within minutes of coming into contact with the spray. It is also an organic product that is effective on a large number of pests and is able to be used on more than just your houseplants!
While systemic pest solutions are not organic, sometimes they are the best option if you cannot seem to curb your infestation with neem oil or insecticidal soap. This product comes in the form of granules that are watered into the soil of your houseplant to be soaked up by the roots of your plant. The chemicals then live in the tissue of your plant and poison any insect that tries to eat away at it. This product is also effective for pest prevention and could help avoid a heavy infestation as any bug will be killed after its first bite.
Pest Control Products for Your Flowers
Since most of our annual and perennial flowers are not intended to be consumed, the use of organic or chemical products is not nearly as much of a concern. At Bath Garden Center, however, we believe in the use of organic or natural products as it is a more sustainable solution. The less we can introduce chemicals into our environments, the less damage we do and the less likely we are to experience adverse effects in the future. That being said, chemical products are much harsher and can be more effective than organic products in the case of extreme infestations. We have outlined several organic and chemical products below so that you can make the best decision based on your situation!
This product is really great for a large variety of different plants and is effective for use on many different pests. While it is great to use on your annual flowers and perennial plants, it is also organic and safe to use on garden plants, certain trees, vines, and berries! The main ingredient in this product is Spinosad, which is a natural substance made by bacteria in the soil. And while it is highly toxic to pests, it is not harmful to children, birds, pets, or other wildlife.
If you are struggling to keep unwanted insects off of your flowers, roses, or other ornamental plants, Ortho Insect Killer for Roses and Flowers may be the product for you. It is highly effective in killing off aphids, Japanese beetle, whiteflies, and other common insects. This is not an organic product, however, so be careful to read all instructions for use and do not use on any plants you intend to consume.
This product literally works on everything and targets over 100 different pests including ants, aphids, beetles, earwigs, cicadas, gnats, scale, thrips, whiteflies, spider mites, mealybugs, and leafminers. The active ingredient in this product is permethrin, which is a synthetic chemical that was formulated to have effects similar to the natural extracts from chrysanthemum flowers. Bonide Eight is not an organic product, though its toxicity levels are much less than other chemical products.
Insecticidal soaps like our Safer Brand Insect Killing Soap are great options for organic pest control. This product targets and kills aphids, earwigs, grasshoppers, mealybugs, mites, spider mites, and whiteflies, and more! Since it is organic, it is safe for use on garden fruits and vegetables, as well as any of your annual flowers or ornamental perennial plants. Safer Brand also has an organic Rose and Flower 3-in-1 Garden Spray that kills insects and controls fungus.
Pest Control Products for Your Trees & Shrubs
Similar to what we have said in earlier sections, we encourage the use of organic pesticides. There are some situations where chemical options may work faster, however, you may want to consider the effects of introducing more chemicals into our environment before making that decision. If you are looking for a pesticide to use on fruit trees or any plant that will produce any fruit that you intend to consume, it is definitely best to use organic products. Similar to products you use in your garden, be sure to avoid systemic insect controls as these chemicals will be present inside the fruit produced by your trees and will be toxic to eat. Systemic products are also a threat to wildlife, as any berries or fruit that birds, squirrels, or other animals get into will affect them negatively as well. If you end up choosing a product that is not organic, be sure to wash your fruit thoroughly before eating, as there will likely be chemical residue covering the outside of your fruit.
As mentioned above, this product is fantastic for use on a wide variety of plants, and it is very effective in ridding your trees and shrubs of any aphids, borers, beetles, and 100+ other unwanted insects! This product also comes in containers with hose-end sprayers for easy application to large areas, trees, and the like.
This product is best used to kill unwanted insects on fruit trees, citrus trees, shrubs, and other ornamental plants. It is effective on ants, beetles, borers, leafminers, thrips, and many more! This product also has several different options for application based on your needs.
This is another brand that is highly effective on various beetles, weevils, borers, and grubs. It is a natural product and therefore will not harm pets or wildlife. This is a highly recommended product for preventing beetle damage to your trees and shrubs as well as your lawn!
This product is specifically for use on trees and shrubs that are being attacked by borers and miners. Insects such as the Emerald Ash Borer tunnel through trees and shrubs and do substantial damage. This product can provide year-long insect control for any trees or shrubs that are being attacked by these unwanted insects.
Some More Options
While we have covered many of the most popular and effective pest control products, pesticides, and insecticides available on the market, there are still tons of other options for you to choose from, depending on which but you are battling and what type of plant is being affected. So, just in case you are looking for even more options than have been provided above, here is a list of some other products that are highly effective and recommended by our professionals here at Bath Garden Center:
If you have any questions about any of these pesticides, need help diagnosing a plant or identifying a pest, or want more suggestions for your specific situation, please feel free to reach out to us! You can also check out our website to see more pest control options that we carry. We are here to help you succeed in all of your plant-related endeavors!