Nothing will wreak havoc on your house plant stash faster than spider mites. These nasty little guys love to suck the juice out of the leaves of our beloved plants. They not only kill the plant they’re living in, but they will spread to any and all nearby plants. This sounds very scary for any plant owner, but especially those that have several plants in close proximity. What’s a plant person to do?
The first thing to do about spider mites is do your best to prevent them. When you’re shopping for new plants, inspect the leaves and soil. Look out for dusty looking webs among the leaves. If you see this, I wouldn’t recommend buying this plant or possibly others from this nursery/shop. Let the shop owner know if you see them. We plant people need to stick together and help each other out. Spider mites can happen to anyone, even well-meaning nurseries and shop owners.
If you do end up with a spider mite issue in your home, the first thing to do is isolate your troubled plant. The faster you get that plant away from your other plants, the less likely it is to spread to nearby friends.
Once you have the plant isolated, removed the affected leaves and stems. This might mean that your plant needs to be disposed of altogether. I have some suggestions on how to avoid this though. If you’ve still got some plant left after you’ve removed the cobwebbed sections, rub the remaining plant with neem oil. You can also use ladybugs to fight the pests, if you don’t mind the added company. Another product called BotaniGard ES can help fight all types of pests including spider mites. Regularly apply this to your affected plant and others in your home to prevent the spread.
Finding spider mites on a plant can be so stressful. Regularly wipe down the leaves of your plants and inspect them. If caught early, this problem is very easy to contain and treat. As always, if you have any other questions about treating spider mites or other plant things, please reach out to me here.
Happy planting friends! I’ll be back next month to talk about my favorite plant. Any guesses?