Plant Health — A.R.T.S.

Five products, each named for the problem it tackles. You search here on what you can see, not on active ingredient.

Most brands in this category name their products after what is in them. A.R.T.S. does the opposite: the name on the bottle tells you what you use it against. That saves you a translation at the exact moment you can least afford one, which is when you have just spotted something in your room. All five come in the same 250 ml bottle.

Which one goes with which problem

Spired is the one for spider mite, and it works on the eggs and larvae as well as the mite itself. Velgro is for thrips and acts through the insect's gut, so it does most in the larval stage. Aphids-0 is the broad one: green and black aphid, whitefly and other flying pests. Fungus Free is not an insecticide but a leaf strengthener that prevents and suppresses botrytis, mildew and rust. And the root rot product works in the root zone against harmful soil fungi.

Why identifying the problem comes first

These five do not overlap. A spider mite product does nothing against thrips, and the reverse holds just as firmly. Spider mite and thrips are easy to confuse, too, because both leave a fine pale stippling on the leaf. Look at the underside before you choose: spider mite leaves webbing, thrips does not. When in doubt it is better to wait a day and be sure than to empty the wrong bottle.

Preventive is not the same as curative

With Fungus Free the difference is largest: as a leaf strengthener it does most when used before you see anything. The insect products are meant for the moment you do see something. That is a difference in timing rather than in quality, and it is stated per bottle on the product page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use two of these at once?
Read both sets of directions first. Two treatments in the same week on the same crop is a different thing from two products in the same sprayer, and nothing here prescribes the latter.

Can a fungicide be combined with products that work through living culture?
Not in the same treatment. A fungicide also reaches beneficial fungi and bacteria, and we sell such products under other brands. Run them one after the other rather than together.

Why are all five 250 ml?
That is the only pack size we stock from this brand. They are concentrates, so check the product page for how much spray solution each makes up.