Pests

The cabinet filters help keep insects away from your plants. In rare cases, pests may still appear. If this happens, follow the steps below to manage the situation.

Follow these steps to remove pests and prevent them from spreading.

Step 1: Gentle removal

If you can clearly see pests on leaves or stems, gently wipe them off using a damp cloth or a cloth with insecticidal soap. Take care not to damage the plant.

Step 2: Remove affected areas if needed

If wiping is not enough, remove heavily infested leaves or parts of the plant. This helps prevent the pests from spreading.

Step 3: Use food-safe treatment

If the infestation continues, apply a food-safe pesticide such as neem oil or insecticidal soap. Always follow the product’s instructions.

Step 4: Check all plants

Inspect nearby plants, as pests can spread quickly within the cabinet.

Step 5: Restart if necessary

If all plants are heavily infested and the issue cannot be controlled, remove all plants, clean the cabinet, and start fresh.

Use the signs below to identify common pests in your cabinet.

Fungus gnats

Small dark bugs that fly around the plants. Although they do not directly damage the plants, they are not that much fun to have around.

Tips: Remove them by lightly scraping off the top layer of the plant pods as they often lay their eggs in soil.

Aphids

Small, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new growth. They suck plant sap, which can cause leaf curling or distortion. 

Mealybugs

Tiny, fuzzy white insects that tend to cluster around stems and leaf joints.

Spider mites 

Leaves become droopy, and fine white webs may be visible upon close inspection.

Tips: Check neighboring plants as these pests often spread quickly then follow the pest treatment steps.

Scales insects

Small, brown, hard-shelled pests that often settle on the underside of leaves.

Tips: Gently scrape them off or apply horticultural oil to smother and remove the infestation.

Thirps

Thrips are tiny, slender insects that may be difficult to see with the naked eye. They cause silvery, stippled damage on leaves and can hinder the growth of plants.

Use these treatments if manual removal is not enough.

Neem oil

A food safe option that is mixed with water according to the specific products label and then sprayed to cover the whole plant in the mixture on the whole plant.

Insecticidal soap

Often more effective as it disrupts the cell membranes of soft-bodied pests (aphids, mealybugs) leading to their quick demise. Apply according to the specific products label instructions.