Attack of the Spider Mite!
It’s
a plant-lovers paradise. Your
houseplants inhabit every bit of available real estate in the house. They
cascade from the shelves, pop out of cupboards, and peep out from all sorts of
nooks and crannies. They are all healthy
and happy…or so it seems. Unbeknownst to
you, deep in the recesses of your happy houseplant jungle lurks a terrible life
sucking predator that may be waiting to explode into action! They are a silent, merciless, and deadly
killer, and they are smaller than the tip of .7 lead – the spider mite!
Spider
mites are a common cause of houseplant demise. At only 1/60th of an
inch in size, they might look like With eight legs,
needle-like mouthparts and a taste for plant sap, they are actually one the
most common and serious houseplant pests out there. Thriving in warm, dry, dusty conditions they
tend to attack plants already under stress.
The telltale signs of a spider mite infestation are yellow stippling on
the leaves and a fine webbing across the plant.
If left unchecked, over time they will usually kill the plant they have
colonized. In this dismal situation what
is one to do!
Luckily, there is hope and your plants don’t have to die a
slow painful death-by-spider mite!
Vigilance is your best ally.
Check your plants regularly for any signs of spider mite damage. If in doubt, tap a leaf over a sheet of white
paper. If you see any tiny moving dots
on the sheet, you likely have a spider mite issue and you should quarantine all
infected plants immediately.
If vigilance is your best ally, then water is your best
weapon. All natural, organic, and
inexpensive, water is the nemesis number one of this tiny vermin. Vigorously spraying all sides of the infested
plant foliage several times a week will control if not completely eliminate an
infestation. If you want to take the
next step, then neem oil or insecticidal soap can also be applied as
directed.
Don’s let your plants die to spider mites – watch out for your
green foliage friends!
For some more information, you can check out these sites or
visit your local extension office!
