Plants may fall victim to a wide range of pests and diseases. Spider mites are among the most common and destructive pests plants regularly encounter. Let’s discuss how to prevent spider mites and get rid of them once you have an infested plant.
What Are Spider Mites?
Invisible to the naked eye, spider mites are tiny bugs that suck plant nutrients from leaf tissue with their needle-like mouthparts. Signs of an infestation include webbing and stippling or tiny white dots on leaves.
Spider mites create nasty webs, starting on the undersides of leaves and at leaf joints, making it difficult to notice them right away. When you use a magnifying glass to examine the leaves, you may notice some bugs and spider mite eggs.
They often look like white spiders but can also appear tan, red, or black, depending on the species. Twospotted spider mites, for example, feature one or more dark spots on either side of their bodies, while spruce spider mites have a grayish-brown appearance.
Do you suspect a spider mite infestation? Consider scheduling a residential tree care and inspection check.
Spider Mite Prevention Tips
Before adding a new plant to your home or garden, consider the following precautionary measures on how to prevent spider mites.
1. Isolate New Purchases
Isolating a plant may seem drastic, but you want to eliminate any chance that an infested plant could affect other plants in your home or garden. Isolate new plants for a couple of weeks as you watch for signs of an infestation before reintroducing them to the rest of your collection.
2. Reduce Plant Stress
Stress makes a plant more vulnerable to pests and disease. That said, keeping your plants strong and healthy will help prevent spider mite infestations. Ensure your plants receive sufficient sunlight, water, and nutrients to minimize plant stress.
3. Clean The Leaves
Cleaning your leaves comes with several benefits. It eliminates dust, allows your plant to absorb more sunlight, and removes spider mites on your plants. Wipe down smooth-leaved plants with a damp cloth and use a soft-bristle brush for fuzzy-leaved plants.
4. Increase Humidity
Spider mites thrive in warm, low-humid, or dry conditions typical of indoor environments. Increasing the moisture levels of your plant area will keep them at bay.
Getting Rid of Spider Mites
A spider mite infestation doesn’t mean the end of the road for your plant. The following tips can help you get rid of spider mites once they attack your plant:
- Wipe down the leaves with soapy water
- Spray horticultural oils on the upper and lower leaf surfaces
- Hose down your plant with water at least once weekly
- Introduce natural predators like ladybugs
Contact Your Local Tree Care Experts
Are you looking for professional tree health care experts? Look no further than the certified arborists at Rick’s PHC Certified Arborists. We proudly serve West Chester, PA, and beyond with the following services:
- Residential tree care
- Deep root feeding
- Growth regulations
- Soil injections
- Trunk injections
Contact us at (610) 840-2655 for more tips on how to prevent spider mites or guidelines on when to schedule a tree inspection.
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