Bringing chillies indoors

[HeyWayne]

Last night I brought my cilli plants indoors - those that aren't in the greenhouse anyway.

1 - Twilight (really pretty, loads of tiny little yellow, pruple and reddish coloured chillis
2 - Jalepeno, all still big fat and green at the moment
3 - Purple Tiger, weird shaped and as the name suggests, purple

The problem is, last time I had a chilli plant in the house it ended up with loads of little white bugs in the soil. I'm allowed the plants in the house as long as we don't get a bug problem like last time.

My question is, how do I ensure that I have bug free plants?

[zazen999]

I am hoping to move mine soon, esp as the nights are now getting a tad cold. I'll be putting grit on top of the soil and watering from the saucer only [need to get some saucers first of course - I haven't planned this very well, have I?].

I think you get the problems with wet compost on top - so watering from the bottom and putting grit should stop the bugs - that's my theory anyway.

[Alison]

Shouldn't be too much of a problem if you don't bring the bugs in in the first place, I've found that you get the problems when the plant has a mild infestation which then breeds in the warmth. I tend to squidge the bugs and rinse off as and when I see them but also put a glass with some slightly watered down vinegar and a little squeeze of washing up liquid next to the plant. Put cling film over the top with a few pencil sized holes in and the flies seem to top themselves in it. Had loads round the house last spring and they worked a treat.

[HeyWayne]

Shouldn't be too much of a problem if you don't bring the bugs in in the first place, I've found that you get the problems when the plant has a mild infestation which then breeds in the warmth. I tend to squidge the bugs and rinse off as and when I see them but also put a glass with some slightly watered down vinegar and a little squeeze of washing up liquid next to the plant. Put cling film over the top with a few pencil sized holes in and the flies seem to top themselves in it. Had loads round the house last spring and they worked a treat.

The last set of bugs we had we didn't even know where there until we disturbed the soil - then it was crawling with thses little white things. Set the plant outside in a bid to kill them off (as suggested by the place we bought the plant), but it didn't get rid.

I like the sound of the venegar thingywotsitdoobrys .

[Alison]

I like the sound of the venegar thingywotsitdoobrys .

It was a tip off that programme where those two slightly scary ladies come and sanitise your house when it's got so bad that you won't let your friends round but are quite happy to have a film crew there

[HeyWayne]

It was a tip off that programme where those two slightly scary ladies come and sanitise your house when it's got so bad that you won't let your friends round but are quite happy to have a film crew there

Bit like that programme where you're too embarassed to go to the doctors to show them your old man, but are quite happy to show it on television...

[Hans Mum]

Bit like that programme where you're too embarassed to go to the doctors to show them your old man, but are quite happy to show it on television...

why'd you wanna show your dad off on the telly wayne

[Alison]

Bit like that programme where you're too embarassed to go to the doctors to show them your old man, but are quite happy to show it on television...

Yeah, caught a bit of that last night - you wouldn't go near some of them with a barge pole let alone get intimate with them

[HeyWayne]

Yeah, caught a bit of that last night - you wouldn't go near some of them with a barge pole let alone get intimate with them

Didn't see it luckily, seen it advertised, and I've seen the programme before. Not pleasant - although one of the doctor ladies...

[HotStuff]

Prevention is obviously better than cure and in future I will take note of the advice given in this thread. I recently had a infestation of whitefly, but thanks to good advice from Zazen & TwoSheds I think I've got rid of it and saved the plants. If you do get bugs, squish them, rinse the plants off and if possible get them out in the sun during the day so that the good guys can get in and kill the bad guys. That plus a couple of those sticky yellow aphid traps seems to have done the trick.

[Two_Sheds]

The last set of bugs we had we didn't even know where there until we disturbed the soil - then it was crawling with thses little white things.

I've got them on my viola cuttings ... most of which have now died. I've been rinsing the greenfly off the indoor plants, but can't seem to kill the white crawly bugs.