--- title: "For those of you with large plant collections, what does your intake…" description: "For those of you with large plant collections, what does your intake process look like? As in, how do you treat new plants for potential fungus, pests, or…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/9KrvY0ACHsyw4xQxUawiw5" community: "Anything about plants" author: "donnie.sfr" published: "2025-02-05T01:33:39.001631Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v2/cloudinary/global_data/communities/everythingHousePlants.jpg" --- [Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Anything about plants](https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg.md) # For those of you with large plant collections, what does your intake… _Posted by donnie.sfr on 2025-02-05_ For those of you with large plant collections, what does your intake process look like? As in, how do you treat new plants for potential fungus, pests, or other ailments? Thanks for the help :) ## 16 comments ### Wolfen 🐺 commented on 2025-02-05 Anything new gets brought into the kitchen (or bathroom if its big kids). Then they get sprayed down with a pesticide, currently Arber, since the neem mix i was using does not work well on mealybugs. It sits for like 60 mins. I then prune and inspect the leaves. Take off anything yellow or dying or looks to have pest damage. Then if the soil/media is trash or mostly coco coir or chip I will repot with appropriate mix and add Mycorrhizal. After that they get some systemic granules (or liquid) and get a shower. Then watered with fungus gnat killer, light fertilizer, silica. Sometimes fish water or kelp or humic acid, depends on how they look. They usually stay in the tub or sink overnight, and then I re-inspect. Then into QT, and more pesticide spray on day 3. (If i notice possible fungal they're treated on a staggered day 3x. After 4 weeks of no issues, i find them a spot in my collection #### Wolfen 🐺 replied on 2025-02-05 I know some people see it as excessive. But I have 300+ plants, and gods forbid I brought something in and just infected everything #### donnie.sfr replied on 2025-02-05 no, thank you so much i appreciate it :) #### Wolfen 🐺 replied on 2025-02-05 You definitely don't have to go that deep. But definitely do the pesticide spray the first day. If anything is suspicious definitely treat it for a few weeks, just to make sure you kill off any hatching larva later. Most pests have like a 25-48 day life cycle #### donnie.sfr replied on 2025-02-05 Does this look alright? Forgive me if it’s overkill, I’m a bit new ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/kgrFjNVXR8tHLvp889Vb8WkizGVfkWTJwxRbjpWoL0c/Tu501zSjSFyn9hoC5FuuoQ.webp?size=large) #### Wolfen 🐺 replied on 2025-02-05 Yea, that looks good. I will just say I spray pesticide before I remove anything, to make sure any pests on the leaves die too. And cant transfer. But you could just bag them up too. ### Phil commented on 2025-02-05 Wolfen you make me tired just reading that, but I know you have many plants and many are special and expensive. So totally understand. Besides if it’s what you like to do as part of the process then so be it. #### Wolfen 🐺 replied on 2025-02-05 Lol fair. I just imagine how exhausting it'd be if I had a thrip invasion!!! _1 more reply in the app_ ### Phil commented on 2025-02-05 I’m not as picky, or careful. They do get thoroughly inspected and then sprayed with insecticidal soap. They hang out in the craft room for several days until I get around to repotting. And then an inspection before joining my hoard. If from a big box store they get isolated for at least a week. ### Plantsmybeloved commented on 2025-02-05 Personally, I water with need oil, spray with pesticide and isolate for 1 or 2 weeks. ### Sunny commented on 2025-02-05 My routine is simple. I carefully examine the pot and plant. I sprits the new arrivals with diluted isopropyl alcohol including under the leaves. I’ve found mealy bugs on three new plants bought from different sources across the US. Alcohol is effective on mealy bugs. I avoid using heavy commercial pesticides, if possible, because I have a lot of critters outside that keep most pests off the plants. ### Ava commented on 2025-02-05 i make a concoction of neem oil, castile soap, and a tiny amount of alcohol and i SPRAY them down as soon as i get them and repot if needed i try not to repot because some plants go into shock but dont be afraid to hose that baby down ### Ruby the plant lady commented on 2025-02-07 As soon as I get home with a new plant, I check it for spider mites and do a repot. Even if it might not need to be repotted yet, I still break in there to get a look at those roots and make sure there is no rot. Hope this helps! --- _Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_