The problem
There is nothing quite like the joy of bringing home a new plant. You find the perfect spot, nestle it in among your others, and stand back to admire the new arrival. What you cannot see are its passengers: a few spider mites tucked under a leaf, mealybug eggs in a joint, or fungus gnat larvae in the compost. A fortnight later, plants that were perfectly healthy are speckled, sticky or swarming, and you have no idea how it happened.

The hack
Quarantining means keeping any new plant separated from the rest of your collection for a few weeks before letting it join the others. The logic is simple: if something is going to emerge, you want it to do so in isolation, where it can be dealt with before it spreads to the whole crew.

The method
Place your new plant in a different room from the rest of your collection for two or three weeks. Every few days, check for webbing, sticky residue, tiny moving specks, or gnats rising from the compost. Treat any pests while the plant is isolated, and only move it in with the others once you are confident it is clean.

The test
I have been quarantining new plants for several years now, and it works. New arrivals have come in with the odd stowaway, but because they were isolated, whatever they brought stayed contained to that one pot rather than becoming everyone’s problem.

The verdict
Nearly every serious infestation I have seen, my own included, traces back to a new plant being introduced straight into your home collection. Quarantining is not a sign of paranoia; it’s the best way to protect your plants, and it costs nothing but a little patience.