Today I was excited to repot some things however was very distraught to find several strange, white “squiggles” all over my marigolds and on a leaf of my impatiens plant! After some quick research on the internet I am pretty sure I am experiencing an infestation of leaf miners. I’ve read that to get rid of them, my best bet is to get some sort of bug spray from the store..however, I am the thrifty, do-it-yourself type and searched the net as well as asked some family members for some simple, low-toxic solutions. My mom has recommended a mixture of dish soap, water and rubbing alcohol to spray on the leaves, while a few sources on the net recommend actually picking off the infected leaves, then spraying the rest of the plant with a mixture of neem oil and water. Some people online have even said that leaf miners are more of a cosmetic issue and to not worry about removing these pests. I think this will be another good experiment so I will try a different method on each plant and see what works best! I have included some pictures of my poor plants and their strange squiggles. Hope all is well and happy gardening!

-The Growing Gnome