This topic page is your weekly field kit. IPM philosophy and escalation logic are in the Balcony IPM article. Here you get scout sheets, mix ratios, and discard rules you can follow in under fifteen minutes.
Sunday scout sheet (copy to notes)
- Undersides of 10 leaves per fruiting plant
- Soft tips of herbs and tomatoes
- Sticky card count (optional)
- Photo any new mottling or webbing
- Mark action: watch / remove leaves / treat / isolate
Home soap spray starting point
Use a product labeled insecticidal soap when possible. If mixing a mild dish-soap rinse for non-sensitive plants, stay very dilute, spray undersides, and rinse foliage after a short contact time if the label workflow calls for it. Never spray in harsh midday sun. Test basil and thin herbs on two leaves first.
When to remove a plant entirely
- Virus-like mosaic with distorted growth and no recovery
- Severe mite webbing after two thorough treatments
- Root collapse with sour media that reinfects neighbors via splash
Bag infected material; do not leave it in an open building compost chute.
10-minute cultural fixes that prevent spray days
- Space pots for airflow
- Water at the mix, not as a daily overhead shower
- Pinch soft aphid tips early
- Avoid feast-and-famine nitrogen on shady balconies
Travel week protocol
Hose off dust, harvest ripe fruit, remove yellow leaves, and place sticky cards. Ask a neighbor for one midweek underside check on eggplant if whiteflies have been present.
Soft spray day checklist
- Confirm pest ID from the scout sheet
- Water plants the day before so they are not drought-stressed
- Spray at dusk or morning shade
- Cover undersides; miss the upper leaf shiny side-only pass
- Reassess in 3-4 days before repeating or escalating
Start here
Put the Sunday scout sheet on your calendar for the next four weeks. Early detection beats any bottle.