Editorial Standards

PlantFix exists to give you a correct answer when something is wrong with your plant. Every editorial decision below serves that goal. Content is researched and produced by the PlantFix editorial team; this page explains exactly how.

Where our advice comes from

Treatment guidance on PlantFix is built from university extension program literature and integrated pest management (IPM) guidelines — the same materials extension agents use when a grower calls in. Before a treatment appears in a guide, it must be supported by extension or government sources; our primary references are:

• UC IPM (University of California)
• Cornell Cooperative Extension
• UF/IFAS Extension (University of Florida)
• Clemson Cooperative Extension
• University of Minnesota Extension
• University of Maryland Extension
• USDA
• EPA (pesticide safety and labels)

When sources disagree — which happens more than you might expect with dosing rates and timing — we default to the more conservative recommendation and say so in the guide.

IPM first, products second

Guides are ordered by integrated pest management principles: identification first, then cultural and physical controls (watering changes, isolation, hand removal, traps), then biological controls, and chemical treatment last. Where the free fix is the right fix, the guide says so. We also tell you when a bug needs no treatment at all — springtails, soil mites, and most clover mites are harmless, and our guides are direct about that even though “do nothing” sells no products.

Safety

Every guide involving pesticides — organic or synthetic — carries the same rule: read and follow the entire product label, which is a legal document. Our content is educational and is not a substitute for the label or for advice from your local extension service, which offers free, region-specific help.

Images

Specimen identification artwork on PlantFix comes from licensed natural-history plates, credited to the original artist and source on each guide. Some article hero images are digitally generated illustrations; identification decisions should rely on the credited specimen plates and the written ID checklists, which are source-verified.

Independence

PlantFix earns money from display advertising and Amazon affiliate links. Advertisers have no input into editorial content, and product recommendations are chosen by what the treatment requires, described generically rather than by brand wherever possible. The full policy is in our Affiliate Disclosure.

Updates and corrections

Every guide displays its last-updated date. When extension guidance changes, or a reader points out an error, we correct the guide and refresh that date. Found something wrong? Email hello@plantfix.org— corrections are the fastest way to make the site better, and we read all of them.