Have been summering houseplants outside for my entire adult life and have never used a systemic on them! I do inspect them carefully before bringing them in and each gets a thorough spray down at the kitchen sink but aside from that, nothing. Never had any issues.

I too just wash em.

I only have 12 houseplants and they’re all inside but one of my purchases over the summer has me concerned so I stopped at the local hardware store to find something as a ‘just in case’. I bought Bomode Neem Oil. I thought the plant had a fungal infection maybe. I’m still not sure what it’s deal is. Posted here but didn’t get much response. I’m actually returning it to Lowe’s and Have decided to only buy healthy plants to start from now on and from other sources.

https://www.amazon.com/BONIDE-PRODUCTS-Bonide-022-32-Ounce/dp/B007CRG4CW

I found a few spider mites on my rubber tree after I brought it home and removed them with a cotton swab and alcohol. I found armored scale in my monstera after it arrived from an online grower- also manually remove, repotted and gave a good spray with the neem oil. I’ve used it a few times as a preventative .... heard online in YouTube videos (planterina) it’s good... It seems if you don’t need it, don’t use it. I think it stinks and resembles the smell of skunk urine. Thankfully it goes away quickly. I also was disappointed at first that the percentage of Neem oil is less then 1% I believe, but then read or heard that if you buy 100% name well you need to dilute it or you can, I think, burn (?) the plant. I just try and check the plants regularly though I never had any pests until the last few months. Again, they were very minor. If I found a plant heavily infested, unless it has great sentimental value, I think I would trash it.

Do you spray the solution on the soil or just on the leaves? My fiddle leaf fig has spider mites and I just sprayed it yesterday. It looks like most of them are dead but I saw another one crawling on a leaf this morning so I sprayed again. I just sprayed on the tops and undersides of the leaves per instructions but now I'm wondering if I should have treated the medium too. It's planted completely in bark.

I used Ortho 3-in-1. Does anyone have experience with this?

The product you asked about contains pyrethrin, a commonly used topical insecticide which affects an insect's nervous system, as the insecticidal agent and sulfur as the anti-fungal agent. It does not act systemically, as do all of the 3 systemic ingredients (1 insecticide, 1 miticide, and 1 fungicide) in Bayer 3-in-1. There is another Bayer 3-in-1 product for flower care which contains fertilizer, and several other branded products which are labeled 3-in-1 , so be sure, if you use the Bayer product, you're actually using the insect/disease/mite control product with imidacloprid (systemic insecticide), Tebuconazole (systemic fungicide, and Tau-Fluvalinate (systemic miticide). BTW - no need to reach for this product if all you have is an infestation of spider mites. A 1:1 or 2:1 mix of water:70% rubbing alcohol (respectively), spritzed to cover all plant surfaces at 4 day intervals works great for mites and is easier on the environment.

Al

I don't understand why one would only apply pesticides at this point. If they need treatment, why not also do it outdoors? If they don't need treatment, why treat?

"I don't understand why one would only apply pesticides at this point .....". What point do you refer to?

I find a prophylactic course of treatment over 2-3 applications at 2-week intervals using a systemic insecticide/fungicide immediately before bringing my plants indoors for the winter to be a very effective preventative measure; and in fact, prophylactic use of fungicides is almost universally more effective than using fungicides in situations which require remediation as opposed to prevention. These treatments ARE performed outdoors except when grower error forces me to move the plants indoors due to sudden onset of chill. When this occurs, I normally resort to a final application of a soil drench as described in the post above in which I provided images of products.

Al

Thanks for the heads up about the water/alcohol mixture, Al. At least I think they're spider mites. I've never had them before but they are so tiny it's almost impossible to see them with the naked eye. In fact, the only reason I knew I had them was because I had my plant under artificial lights and the extra light happened to illuminate them as they crawled along the leafs edge.

Not a fan of systemics, and so far really haven't found the need. Although, I have certainly lost plants to spider mites, on occasion.

I would consider neem applied as a systemic but I'd have to research it a lot more. Al, thoughts?

Otherwise, I just use water spray and very careful inspection (including a flashlight!) of foliage AND soil/pot, followed by a soap spray or hort oil, and then repeated a few weeks later. Then inspect the indoor plants frequently, wash foliage frequently, and spot treat as needed.

Water, of course, doesn't work for things like scale, for example, so after an inspection I would specifically treat those with oil.

And remember to quarantine any new plants you bring home.

Neem does act as a mild systemic, and lasts about 2 weeks per treatment. It's very effective if used properly. It's an antifeedant (upsets the digestive system) and the active ingredient, azadirachtin, mimics/replaces a hormone essential to completion of insect's metamorphic cycle. Since insects cannot reach the stage of being sexually mature, neem ingestion renders them unable to reproduce.

When using neem oil, you might find it doesn't have much in the way of rapid knockdown (quick death of bugly uggers), but that doesn't mean it isn't quietly doing its job. The best neem oil product is pure, cold-pressed oil. The best way to use it is by preparing a suspension of 1 quart or liter of hot, acidified (with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar/ quart or liter) distilled water, to which you would add 4.5 teaspoons of insecticidal soap concentrate + the appropriate amount of neem oil and shake well. Make sure you A) keep shaking the suspension as you spritz, and B) use all of the product that day and discard anything that remains unused. The reason for acidifying distilled water is, neem oil is highly susceptible to something called alkaline hydrolysis. See something I wrote about the effect of hydrolysis on insecticides and other chemical mixtures:

Hydrolysis

pH is based on a logarithmic scale from 1 to 14. Where a pH of 7 is neutral, a pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 7. Many insecticides are sensitive to pH levels because of something called hydrolysis, which is a chemical process whereby larger molecule with insecticidal properties are broken (cleaved) into smaller (ionic) particles that may totally lack any insecticidal properties when they recombine with other smaller particles. How much effect hydrolysis has on insecticides depends on the insecticide's chemistry, water pH, water temp, exposure to sunlight, and how long the mixture has been in the spray container.

Neem oil and insecticidal soaps are susceptible to alkaline hydrolysis, which means that a pH greater than 7.0 causes degradation, so adjusting your spray water to a pH from 5.5 - 6.5 for neem products and no lower than 8.0 for insecticidal soap applications is beneficial; whereas some pesticides are affected by acid hydrolysis at pH levels below 7.0, they should be mixed with water adjusted to pH levels from 7.5 - 8. In either case, the sooner you use the spray mixture, the more effective it will be. White vinegar or citric acid (from a wine-making supply store) are very effective at reducing water's pH.

Al

For reasons not clear to me Bayer 3 in 1 concentrate removed Imidacloprid from its formulation. At least on the label it is not mentioned. This must be a recent change since I still have an older bottle which does have it. Their website displays the older label. I wonder if this is because of any new regulation or perhaps state dependent compliance of sorts.

Tropic, are there other Imidacloprid products still on the shelf? PA might have changed its list of permitted products. There are some products I can't buy locally or have shipped to me, because the active ingredients are not permitted in New York. This includes the 3 in 1, but oddly the miticide seems to be the reason.

I checked today at HD and there indeed other products with Imidacloprid but only in the "ready to use" version but not in the concentrate form.

ToC - Bayer still makes the 3-in-1 Insect - Disease - Mite Control product with Imidacloprid, Tebuconazole, and the miticide Tau-fluvalinate (a pyrethroid). I've been checking in big box stores and they seem to prefer to carry the product (name the same) labeled differently in that Imidacloprid is not listed as an ingredient. I've been to 2 greenhouse ops in the last week, and out of curiosity, I checked the label of the concentrate they were selling and the label said it included .47% Imidacloprid. IF you look at the safety sheet Bayer provides for the product we assume does not contain Imidacloprid, it indicates it does contain .47% Imidacloprid. It must have something to do with labeling laws, perhaps if the product contains less that .5% of anything, it needn't be included as an ingredient?

I just received a case of 8 qts from an outfit called "Do My Own", and all are labeled as containing Imidacloprid, so I'm set for the next decade at least.

Al

Well HU-679517095, nice trolling there. Shame on you.

I see you have no history here.

When you have something to add to a conversation, rather than attacking, please come back. Untill then I hope you have a happy chemical-free life, and that you never need a chemical medication to save your life.

I will say that imidacloprid, used responsibly on indoor plants, is a miracle. It is also a game-changer for fleas on dogs and cats.

The critic who seeks to make his position known by noise, command, and foot-stomping, might as well be the gong at a railroad crossing, clanging loudly and vainly as the train goes by. Your first post (and tantrum) here leaves me wondering if perchance you're having a lover's quarrel with the world.

Al

I have a question about imidacloprid products. Once you make the mixture and spray, how long does the mixed product last.

Also what is the best way to dispose of the excess "mix". I can store the concentrate in a cool place. But what do I do with the excess I have already mixed with water?

I've looked online and all the documentation says is to "consult with the EPA or local hazardous waste resources". I know I can't pour it down the drain. So what is the best way to dispose of what I don't use.

hi Popmama: Difficult to answer definitively. But reading through datasheets and the fact that it is a systemic insecticide I would guess that it will last for a quite a while in diluted form. Also note that the manufacturer also makes a diluted version - called ready-to-use or RTU formulations. I usually make larger batches and store them in containers for future use. It seems to work as effectively as freshly made one.

This is my first post in a long while. I have been out of the loop for the last 5 months or so. Hope all are doing well and I hope to catch up soon and participate more regularly.

Thank you tropicofcancer! Your thought process is completely logical and I'm not sure why I didn't think of it that way. They do sell RTU which must be diluted already and it is shelf stable so I guess my "mixed" one should be the same. I know some pesticide mixes say "use within xx days or discard the remainder". I suppose I could write to Bonide and ask just to be sure.

The disposal of it was troubling to me. I realized that if/when I do need to dispose of it, that it may not be so simple.

I feel sort of guilty using a pesticide like this, I admit. But mealybugs really get me mad. And that anger gets out of control at some points. :-)

Looks like water is one of the necessary ingredient to break it down. Light being the other.

From: http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/imidagen.html#:~:text=Imidacloprid%20is%20broken%20down%20rapidly,into%20groundwater%20under%20some%20conditions.

What happens to imidacloprid in the environment?

Imidacloprid can last for months or years in soil. The residues become more tightly bound to the soil with time. Imidacloprid is broken down rapidly by water and sunlight. The pH and temperature of water affect the speed of the imidacloprid breakdown process. Imidacloprid may leach from soil into groundwater under some conditions. Imidacloprid is broken down into a number of other chemicals depending on which bonds in the molecule are broken.

Is it always necessary? Even just for soil fungus?

"Is it always necessary?

A systemic insecticide? No. I have never used any insecticides other than water on my indoor plants, even after spending the summer outside. YMMV

And an insecticide will have little to no effect on a soil fungus. You need to look at fungicides or other methodology (like watering practices, media) to control fungi.