Not sure who had it first, or if it was a symptom of being outside, but within just one week every single plant is infected. I had dreams of a jungle on my screened-in porch. Some of these plants I’ve been nurturing for years. I sprayed every plant in there thoroughly with an entire bottle of Jack’s Dead Bug, and I have the concentrate… 3 days later, nearly every leaf is again coated in spider mites and shriveling. I’ve tried earthworm casting tea and I also have diatomaceous earth (haven’t tried it yet). It’s been super humid and damp outside. I’m in zone 8a. What should I do? Is there anything I can do? Should I ladybug bomb? I had just two plants with spider mites indoors once and I kept them hanging for about a year… but this is nearly my entire collection.
Also, some of this definitely looks like pollen+dust, since when I turn leaves over there is nothing on the underside, and mites usually coat both sides. But I can definitely see spider mites too..? I have never seen an infection spread so quickly. My garden plants right next to my porch are thriving, though. What gives?
*water once a week, all plants have adequate drainage. These plants get bright indirect light and those needing more (like my Meyer lemon tree) have grow lights.
by FrenchPressMedia
13 Comments
It takes several spraying and few weeks of constant care. Spray every 2-3 days and shower the plants at least once a week. Get rid of the worst infected plants or bag them in plastic bags for isolation. Persistence is key. I would recommend trying out predatory mites as well.
Predatory mites, jumping spiders
I used a mixture of water, castille soap, rubbing alcohol, and neem oil in a mister bottle when I had an outbreak. I wasn’t fast enough to save everybody, but after everyone had a bath and got the weekly mist of treatment, I was able to get rid of them within a couple months and I only lost a few babies. They went ham on my calatheas 🙁
Since they’re outdoors you might need to keep on top of them once the outbreak is contained. I mist the plant down completely, then wipe the leaves off with a wet cloth. Spider mites LOVE heat and dry weather so keeping the area humid also will deter them from taking residence.
Natures good guys on Amazon. They have options for all sorts of pest control. For spider mites they sell predatory mites in all different amounts
I just use safers insecticidal soap twice a week and don’t see spider mites anymore. I spray the undersides of leaves and use distilled water to mix it.
Its spider mite season. I just got control of it over 30 days. I first hit them with neem oil. Then 2 weeks later I hit them with a pesticide. This weekend I’m going to hit them with inseticidal soap.
I’m no expert, but I stumbled across this mixture on youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej-NJjEJJ6U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej-NJjEJJ6U)
Essentially a (diluted) mixture of 70% isopropyl alcohol, 1% hydrogen peroxide, and both mint and teatree oil castille soaps. The video (and its comments) have the precise ratios. My newly-acquired ctenanthe came with some spider mite surprises, and this spray obliterated them.
Honestly, I think the best thing is to put them fully outside where they can get rained on. They should be in a somewhat shady spot so they don’t get blasted by the sun, but being exposed to the elements will kill off spider mites faster than any treatment you can do. Predatory bugs will also feast on the spider mites outside much better than anything you’d introduce.
The above will be the best bet at saving your plants right now. The trick is how to bring them back inside, because once you remove the insecticidal pressure of the elements, the spider mites will come back with a vengeance. You’ll have to be vigorously treating while they are recovering outside to make sure you eradicate the problem before bringing them back in.
Best of luck! Sorry your babies are suffering 🙁
OUCH! Sorry to hear about this 🙁 Hopefully you can get it under control using some alcohol!! I had the same issue with a rose bush that I had indoors, still unsure of where they came from but I won!! Took a bunch of alcohol being sprayed but I won! 🙂 Best of luck!
It’s like they just wait somewhere until you put a plant in a dry area and they rub their greedy little hands together and feast
I am so sorry 🙁
Doubt the spray will do much. I have had great luck using this synthetic nicotine product. Just put in your soil and water, will make your plants poisonous to bugs, works for 8 weeks. Not great for pollinators though.
[https://a.co/d/7D8bdFS](https://a.co/d/7D8bdFS)
That looks more like dust or pollen than mites? Or does it just look like that in pics