Skip to Content

Is Ortho Home Defense Safe for Plants? (Read This First!)

You surely don’t enjoy it when a cockroach flies across the room or you find many of your properties destroyed by moths or beetles. Since sharing your own house with insects is the last thing you may do, it’s obvious to try to get rid of the insects at home and around. 

People love to use Ortho home defense as one of the best insect repellents. This brand is famous for its strong insecticides that remove various insects in a short time. 

Moreover, Ortho home defense is safe for humans and pets, so there is no chance of getting negative side effects from this pesticide. 

However, if you’re a plant lover your main concern would be to keep them safe from any type of poisonous elements such as insect repellent. You surely want to repel the bugs but what if the garden or indoor plants get harmed?

If you want to know whether Ortho home defense is safe for your plants, read further for the detailed answer!

Is Ortho home defense safe for plants?

Ortho home defense is safe to use around plants as it contains no such toxin. You can use the spray over most of the plants and shrubs and they will be safe. But it’s discouraged to use Ortho home defense directly on edible vegetable or fruit plants. 

Ortho home defense is a fast-acting pesticide that can deter insects that take over your house and garden. This super effective insect repellent can repel cockroaches, fleas, ticks, spiders, bedbugs, beetles, and 130 more harmful insects. 

Powered with Bifenthrin, and Zeta-Cypermethrin, this pesticide is safe to use around your family and pets. But since most pesticides are toxic to plants, you may hesitate before using Ortho home defense near your indoor plants or in the garden. 

Fortunately, Ortho home defense is not harmful to trees or plants if used as directed. 

Ortho home defense is a safe product to use around plants and trees. But it’s always suggested to avoid spraying Ortho home defense directly on plants and keep them away while applying the pesticide. Let’s see if these two Ortho home defense insect repellent is safe for plants:

Ortho home defense: 

Ortho home defense works as an all-rounder. It can deter many types of insects indoors and outdoors. While used around the house perimeter or near the garden, it’s safe for your plants. 

Ortho home defense insect repellent contains no toxic chemical that can eat up your plants. So if you’re spraying near any bush, shrub, or even flower plants, there is no risk. 

But while using this pesticide around edible plants except for the listed ones, you have to be careful. 

Ortho home defense max: 

Ortho home defense max is infused with an advanced formula that acts faster to deter and prevent insects in the house and even in gardens. It contains no harmful properties that can harm plants and trees while used near them. 

So it is a safe pesticide for plants that are listed on the label.

However, it’s wise to keep edible plants away or not to use the pesticide directly on them to avoid any risk. 

Can I use Ortho home defense around indoor plants?

Ortho home defense can be used indoors and around the house perimeter without any risk. But if you have an indoor plant and you’re worried if this pesticide may harm the plants, then this is safe to use around indoor plants too.

Ortho home defense is safe for most of the plants. That means if you have house plants and used the pesticide in your rooms and cabinets, the fumes of the ingredients will not harm the plants. 

The plants won’t get dry or discolored since Ortho home defense is milder and less toxic than any other pesticides. 

Ortho home defense can be applied around ornamental plants kept indoors. They have mentioned in their product labels how you can use it the safest way around indoor plants. 

If you use it accordingly, your indoor plants will be safe from insects as well as side effects from Ortho home defense insect repellent. 

But for a better and safer option, you can keep them out of the application area and wait till the pesticide is dried.

Is Ortho home defense safe for vegetable gardens?

Though Ortho home defense is plant-safe you should not apply it to vegetable gardens

Ortho home defense products are safe for plants. They aren’t too toxic to harm a plant. So it can be used around bushes, shrubs, flower plants, trees even around house plants. 

But for edible plants, it’s advised by the brand to maintain a distance. 

Vegetables can get poisoned due to the pesticides and thus can harm many people who will consume them. But to repel bugs from vegetables you can use it as directed. 

Can I spray Ortho home defense on plants?

No, you cannot spray Ortho home defense directly on plants. It will be harmful to them.

Ortho home defense is a pesticide that can be used indoors and outdoors. You can use Ortho home defense in corners and closed places at home as well as in the house perimeter to keep bugs away.

This effective insecticide can be used around plants and gardens as well since it’s plant-safe. But you cannot spray this on plants. Ortho home defense insecticides are not for use directly over plants. This way the plants can get damaged.

Why shouldn’t you use Ortho home defense on plants?

Insects can appear anywhere. Be it your room carpet, kitchen cabinet, or your favorite plant, bugs will always make some room for them.To repel insects from a closet or kitchen is easy since there is no chance of losing a life. But when it comes to plants, you must think twice.

Ortho home defense can be used around plants following instructions but never directly on plants. Here is why:

It can discolor the plant: 

Ortho home defense is a pesticide that’s why it contains some chemicals plants can’t take. This pesticide’s ingredients aren’t suitable for plants to absorb directly.  

Though it’s mentioned as safe for plants, if you spray a massive amount directly on plants due to a chemical reaction the plants might lose their color. 

The plant can get poisoned: 

Pesticides contain some ingredients that can react badly when applied to plants. So if you use Ortho home defense on edible plants such as vegetables or fruits they can get toxic and thus cause illness to the ones who eat them. 

It can destroy the plant: 

Due to an overdose of Ortho home defense insect repellent, a plant can fall away. When you’re spraying the insect remover around bushes, plants, or trees, they are not in direct interaction with the chemicals. 

But when sprayed aiming at the plants, they can permanently get burnt and lose their lives. 

Final Thoughts

Ortho home defense is a plant-safe pesticide. It can be used around plants without poisoning or ruining them. You can even safely use Ortho home defense on the plants as the brand allows. But to be on the safe side, it’s better to keep plants away from direct application.