Expert: C.L. Fornari - 7/23/2006

Question
I have 3 hanging baskets of petunias, 2 of which have a white tiny fly.  I have read your suggestion  of spraying with insectidcide soap.  Is that like dial soap? Do I just make a solution and spray it on? If so, how often should I do this?
Thanks.
Bonnie from Long Beach Island, NJ

Answer
Hi, Bonnie,
White fly are very annoying and can weaken your plants, so it's good to treat it.  Insecticidal soap is not like dial - most "people soaps" have a bunch of other stuff in them that can harm the leaves of plants.  The closest you can come in a home product is pure Ivory dish soap, but if I were going to buy a product I'd go to the garden center and buy a soap that is made for plants.  Using household products for plants can be risky.

Any garden center or most hardware stores sell insecticidal soap - it works by smouthering the insects it lands on - you should spray it under the leaves as well as on top, and never spray during a hot, sunny day.  If it's hot where you are, spray in the evening or the morning of a cloudy day.

You might have to spray a couple of times.

all the best,
C.L.