There is, admittedly, a certain joy in bringing home a new plant. You find the perfect spot, nestle it in among your other green children, and stand back to admire your handiwork. What you cannot see, however, are its passengers: a few spider mites tucked under a leaf, mealybug eggs in a joint, or fungus gnat larvae in the compost. A fortnight later, your previously healthy plants are speckled, sticky, or swarming, and you're left wondering how it all went so wrong.

The hack, as it turns out, is as simple as it is undramatic: quarantine. That's right, keep any new plant separated from the rest of your collection for a few weeks before letting it join the party. The logic is straightforward: if something is going to emerge, you want it to do so in isolation, where it can be dealt with before it spreads to the whole crew.

The method is equally thrilling. Place your new plant in a different room from the rest of your collection for two or three weeks. Every few days, check for webbing, sticky residue, tiny moving specks, or gnats rising from the compost. Treat any pests while the plant is isolated, and only move it in with the others once you're confident it's clean.

The test? The author has been quarantining new plants for several years now, and it works. New arrivals have come in with the odd stowaway, but because they were isolated, whatever they brought stayed contained to that one pot rather than becoming everyone's problem.

The verdict is in: nearly every serious infestation, including the author's own, traces back to a new plant being introduced straight into your home collection. Quarantining is not a sign of paranoia; it's the best way to protect your plants, and it costs nothing but a little patience. So go ahead, be the plant parent who makes newbies sit in the hallway for a fortnight. Your other plants will thank you.