Common Garden Pests in India (and Natural Fixes)

Most home gardens don't need chemical sprays. A handful of common pests cause almost all the damage, and each one has a simple, natural fix if you catch it early.

Aphids

Tiny, soft bugs that gather on new growth and under leaves. Leaves may curl up or feel sticky. Mix mild soap with water and spray it directly on the aphids every few days until they're gone. Ladybirds eat aphids too, so don't spray anything elsewhere in the garden that might harm them.

Mealybugs

White, fluffy clusters, usually where a leaf meets the stem. Dab them with a cotton swab dipped in diluted neem oil. If a lot of the plant is covered, spray the whole plant with a neem oil mix once a week for two to three weeks.

Whiteflies

Tiny white flies that rise up in a cloud when you touch the plant. A yellow sticky trap near the plant catches a lot of them, and a neem oil spray takes care of the rest.

Spider mites

Hard to spot, but the signs are easy to see: fine webs and small yellow specks on leaves, usually in hot, dry weather. Spider mites don't like damp air, so misting the plant often, along with a neem oil spray, keeps them away.

Snails and slugs

Look for ragged holes in leaves that show up overnight. Check the soil early morning or evening, when they come out, and pick them off by hand. A ring of crushed eggshells or coffee grounds around the plant's base stops them from crossing over.

The one habit that stops most of this

Check your plants once a week, especially under the leaves and on new growth. Almost every pest problem is easy to fix in the first few days - and a real headache once it's spread across the plant. Weeds are also where many of these pests breed and hide, so keep the soil around your plants clear with a hand weeder. A few minutes with one does more for pest prevention than any spray.