In order to try to prevent pest diseases, I scrub the pots out well or use new ones, use new sterile potting mix with moisture control granules and food in it (Miracle Grow Moisture Control), provide good light and keep the windows closed. I don't plant until it is cold enough to keep windows closed. Small gnats, aphids, etc., can get through screens and at your plants and breed. Once it is too cold for the pests to be active, I plant, using grocery store plants to save time. I also make sure the soil I buy is from a store that keeps them inside and dry, and the package does not feel heavy and wet. All those measures make it much less likely that pests will have a chance to get at my plants, much less harm them. If I do see any gnats, at first site I float a BT donut in water to water the plants with. But only once or twice did I even see them and those were in spring on my seedlings, not in the winter.
|