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New plant
Quarantine after buying
MYTH
A plant from the shop is clean — it can go straight in with the others.
FACT
Scale, mealybugs and whiteflies almost always come into the home on a new plant. In the shop they're easy to miss.
What actually matters
- Check before you buyTurn the leaves over and look underneath, check where each leaf joins the stem, and look at the shoot tips.
- At least three weeks apartKeep the newcomer away from your other plants. Pests don't always show at once, so waiting a month is fine too.
- What to look forSticky leaves, white fluff where leaves join the stem, fine webbing, pale specks on the leaves. Check once more before it joins the others.
- A yellow trap for gnatsPut a yellow sticky trap nearby, out of reach of children and pets. Gnats get stuck on it — check it every day.
- Found pests? Act nowTreat the plant straight away or throw it out before the pests move on. Only use a product whose label says it's for houseplants.
Sources: Colorado State Extension, Wisconsin Extension, RHS, Missouri Botanical Garden, Oregon State Extension, Iowa State Extension, American Orchid Society.