Apply once a week during light pest season, or twice a week during heavy pest season. Always spray in morning (before sunrise) or in late evening. Never spray in sunlight, or you'll risk scorching your plants. Spray plants liberally, and be sure to get the undersides of leaves, where many pests feed.
Chlorpyrifos has a soil half-life of 11-140 days; persistence increases in more acidic soils; “residues” (unspecified levels) occur on plant surfaces for 10-14 days after application. Carbaryl has a soil half-life of 7-28 days; plant surface residues (unspecified levels) usually last less than 14 days.
Apply pesticides during the cooler part of the day, such as the early morning or evening. Treatments made in the early morning allow foliage to dry before temperatures reach 85–90°F. Take special precautions when using pesticides containing oil. Treat when conditions allow plants to dry quickly.
Overapplication is another cause of plant damage. Even though a product is considered safe to apply to a particular plant, application at a higher rate than the label recommends can burn the plant. People often mistakenly think that if a little of the insecticide works, more will work even better.
Apply in the morning when temperatures are cooler.
Many insecticides can cause damage to your plants if you spray them during the heat of the day. Applying insecticides in morning hours are best, evening hours are next best.
“A lot of people don't understand the importance of misting,” adds Jenkins. “Misting is one of the top things that you can do for your houseplants. I advise my clients to mist their houseplants one to two times per week.”
Misting regularly in combination with wiping down the leaves with a clean microfiber cloth will keep your leaves free of dust, and also help mitigate any emerging pest problems. Misting and wiping your leaves once a month is one of the most effective ways to combat common houseplant pests, spider mites.
How long will pesticides last after application? A typical pest control application will last around 90 days. If outdoor applications see consistent or heavy rainfall, they efficacy may be affected and will last about 60 days. Pesticides used to treat flying insects like mosquitoes or flies will last around 30 days.
A spritz as little as once or twice a week can make a huge difference to humidity here as the moisture has nowhere to escape to. Likewise, misting can be an effective way to target dry patches on hanging baskets or mounted plants, such as stag horn ferns, which traditional watering may miss.
Spray as close to the target as possible, you want to get good coverage, while still preventing drift. Do not apply pesticides on very hot days, with temperatures above 90°F. The active ingredients in some pesticides can vaporize and drift onto non-target surfaces.
Watering-in recommendations are the same for insecticides. Although Acelepryn® and Meridian® 25WG insecticides are more forgiving than most insecticides when they are not watered in within 24 hours, it's still recommended that they are watered in.
How Long Does it Take For Pest Control to Work? In most cases, you can expect to see a significant and noticeable reduction in pest activity within one to two days.
Many times, insects feed on the plant above the crown, also known as the growing point, of the plant and will recover without much effort or attention.
Ideal Season For Pest Spray Treatments
The best time to have your home sprayed is in early spring. By spraying in the spring, you have the opportunity to destroy nests and colonies when pest numbers are low. The treatment has less work to do, making it more effective and longer lasting.
Types of Plants That Like Mist
Tropical houseplants and plants that love high-humidity—such as the Chinese Evergreen, Boston Fern, and Majesty Palm—will benefit most from misting, says Plunkett. (Zebra plants, orchids, arrowhead plants, and begonias are just a few others that love mist.)
"Misting the surface can provide a bit of humidity to the foliage without directly spraying leaves," Resta notes, "and it can help oxygenate the soil." Additionally, she says misters can be really helpful during summer, or growing season. "Leaves are unfurling, and a mister is perfect to have handy," she says.
“Spritzing your plants is not the correct way to water your plants. In fact, it doesn't water them at all,” she says. While spritzing can provide some moisture, unless the plant really thrives in humidity (ferns, orchids, or bromeliads, for example), Hovis says spritzing can do more harm than good.
However, after a professional pest control treatment you may see more bugs than normal… Because sheltering pests come scrambling out of sheltering areas as they try to escape the product application. Hence, seeing more pests after pest control service is normal as they come out and die.
For example, if you were spraying outdoor pests on your lawn and ornamentals, going over the recommended dosage may potentially damage your turfgrass and plants or any beneficial insects that you may have present in your yard.
Keep your bug spray and sunscreen separate
Sunscreen should be applied liberally all over your exposed skin and reapplied every two hours. Bug spray should be used carefully, and you shouldn't need to apply it more than once per day.
Letting the leaves get too wet and / or allowing them to stay excessively wet for a prolonged period of time can encourage mold growth on the leaf surface, so it's always important to ensure you don't ever allow puddles of water to form on your plants' leaves - this applies when watering as well as when misting.
As for misting — for the plants that need to be misted to thrive like air plants and ferns — it's best to mist them in the morning *and* the evening whenever possible. The morning mist helps to prepare them for the day ahead, while the evening misting helps create a little extra humidity.
The frequency of misting plants greatly depends on the season as well as the level of humidity in the air in your zone. However, in general, it is recommended that you mist your plants at least a few times per week after considering existing moisture levels around.