The Sneaky Way Potted Patio Plants Are Attracting Centipedes To Your Home

Houseplants are a wonderful addition to your home, adding color and texture to a space as well as pleasant smells. Houseplants can even help to reduce stress levels, and working with them can be extremely therapeutic. In addition, houseplants can make your home smell amazing, so, unless you're sadly allergic to them, there are huge benefits to having them around. 

However, potted plants can also bring some unwelcome guests along with them, and if you've noticed sudden movement while you're watering or the presence of tiny pests such as soil mites or fungus gnats, you might have some centipedes living alongside you in the home. Potted plants are one of the areas of your home that might be attracting centipedes. While they aren't poisonous, they can give you a nasty bite that's most similar to a wasp sting. In addition, most people don't particularly want to share their home environment with these fast-moving little visitors.  

Houseplants provide a wonderful environment for centipedes. Firstly, the soil is moist due to watering, which leads to the second thing centipedes love — a hidden food source. The damp environment helps to attract the small insects that centipedes feed on, with the moisture and organic materials in the potting soil and plant debris giving both centipedes and their prey a perfect environment to thrive in. Plus, the drainage holes at the bottom of plant pots give centipedes a perfect hiding spot and a safe space for them to rest up in. 

If you've discovered centipedes living in your potted plants, you'll want some simple ways to get rid of them. Fortunately, there are some tips to implement to ensure that your plants are a less inviting place for creepy crawlies to reside. Start by keeping your potted plants elevated on either a shelf or stand, which makes it physically harder for the centipede to get to them. 

Don't oversaturate your plants with water either — make sure that the top layer of soil is dry to the touch before you water again, and check that the holes in your pots are large enough to allow for proper drainage that will prevent your plants from sitting in a damp and swampy mess. Humidity trays complete with pebbles can help keep your plants suitably moisturized rather than excessively damp. Centipedes and their prey also love decaying leaves, so make sure to do regular clean-ups in your plant pots to remove these and any other organic matter that's fallen off the plant. Keep the area clean and tidy, and you'll make it a far less appealing space for bugs. 

If these tips aren't working, the best way to naturally keep centipedes out of your home is with diatomaceous earth. This natural substance can be sprinkled on top of the soil in your plant pots as well as around the plant pots, and works by dehydrating the centipedes and stripping their natural oils. Finally, if all else fails, consider repotting your plant after carefully scraping off as much of the original soil as you can.