Hello!
Plant: Rose Painted Calathea
Backstory is in this first paragraph. Second paragraph is where I'll explain steps I've already taken.
This is my first ever house plant (and only one) which was given to me at work. It requires a good amount of sunlight which my office has none to offer so I took it home in hopes I could keep it alive. I was just over on r/whatisthisbug asking about these little dudes on my house plant just to find out they're little a-holes aka spider mites. The kind folks on that subreddit gave what I assume is sound advice based on what I'm finding online and then directed me to you all for further advice.
So far I've taken a cloth and mixed it with a touch of dish soap and wiped off all the webs and mites I can see. I then took a damp cloth with just water and wiped down the leaves again because based on what I've read, normal dish soap can be very harmful to the plant if left on there. I also got suggestions to mix dish soap in a spray bottle but I don't know if my current soap (Dawn dish soap) is the best fit.
Any advice on how I can keep these little buggers away from my plant and keep it healthy is much appreciated! If there's a certain mix or spray that I can buy (even if expensive) please feel free to recommend. I would much rather go with something that is known to be effective with little to no harm to the plant then risk botching a mixture and doing more damage.
by __nobody_-_
8 Comments
Honestly I’d trash this. To keep spider mites at bay in general I spray water with soap and ethanol once a week or so.
Can you buy biological controls in your country? If you can justify the cost, buying some predatory mites could be the long term solution. Phytoseiulus persimilis or Neoseiulus californicus would be ideal.
I’ve been dealing with them too for a while now, and I’ve tried a few things. I used Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew and unfortunately, I haven’t seen any improvement unlike others who swear by it. So, I switched to manual removal by using [this method](https://youtu.be/PJDLK7Tc8q0?si=0BLCCBMrtYL_fdGJ). Basically, you mix water with some 70% alcohol and a few squirts of Dawn dish soap. Then you spray this mixture on the leaves, top and bottom, and you use a brush to ‘brush away’ the adults and eggs. The video explains it better. The only thing I did different from it was that after letting the mixture sit, I rinsed it off with water. I found that letting it sit damages my plants’ leaves. It’s been a few days and I have seen a massive improvement. Keep in mind that this is something that you will have to do a few more time. The person in the video said to do it every time you water your plant. I intend to spray my plants with Bifenthrin 5 days after I last used this method since spider mite eggs hatch after around 5 days or so. Then switch back again to first method and repeat this process a few more times.
I also bought the SNS 209. You can mix it in with water as a foliage spray or soil drench but I prefer the latter. It will take at least two weeks for it to take full effect but I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about it so I’m looking forward to it helping my battle against these c*nts lol.
Also, spider mites thrive in dry, hot climate. So definitely try to keep the humidity between 50-60%.
If you have any questions, I’ll be more than happy to answer them. Good luck!
I’m not convinced those are spidermites. Spidermites don’t usually move nearly that fast. Are there any tiny spider webs anywhere? Those are the usual sign of them. Can you also share a photo of the whole pant?
Just in case they are… Wrap the container to keep most of the water out of the container. Then spray off the whole plant in a sink or in the shower. Get both sides of every leaf.
Then order some insecticidal soap and wash the tree once or twice a week.
Use castille soap, it is gentler on the plant.
I mix a half cup peppermint castille soap with 1 cup of 70% isopropyl alcohol in 2 gallons of water, you can half or quarter that if needed. Spray with a pump sprayer every other day for that much of an infestation. Do not rinse. If its not too cold I’d spray outside and thoroughly soak all of the leaves top and bottom and the stem each time. Keep it out of direct light until dry. I’ve also added a half cup of tea tree oil castille soap in the dame container sometimes.
safer’s soap. readily available online. a few dashes into a solution of 1 part 70% isopropyl alcohol to 2-3 parts water. shake. use a makeup brush and lather on every single surface, tops/bottoms of leaves, stems, etc., down to the soil line. the soap isn’t necessary w/ the alcohol, but adds to the effect.
or straight safers-imo the mix is better-neither will hurt any plant.
the KEY is repetitive treatments. every 5 days, no skips, for at least a month.
sulfur dust (wettable) works great on spider mites, only needs applying every month or so. but it will stain plants, and has some application caveats. i used it and it saved my verrucosum. now every plant i own has sulfur stained leaves, the results were that impressive.
but the alcohol is the old, classic, tried and true treatment that goes back to the geezers. science/fact based. unlike all the oils nonsense you’ll see on the interwebs.
hth š
They’re kinda cute tho