View Full Version : Spider mite "primer"
parid09
02-12-2010, 01:04 PM
Well folks, it is getting to that time of year where there is distant hope of a spring coming sometime, and also a time where by now, most of us are war veterans when it comes to spider mites. I was thinking, for the newcomers to our "sport", we should all put in our battle plans and experience with these little buggers to help them in identifying and dealing with one of the most serious threats to nanners and other plants. Whatever you have done to control them, whether it has worked or not would be appreciated, and keep in mind that what might work for one situation, might not for another. For the new beginners, spider mites ALWAYS comes as a suprise, but there are things you can do to get an early detection if you know what to look for. For an example, when I got started with nanners, I mistakenly thought a wilted appearance of the leaves meant the plant was dry, and kept watering to "perk" them up... Well, we all know the sins of overwatering, and this only made things worse as the poor plant ended up in a two front war.. corm rot, and trying to cope with the mites. Put in your stories... the more info to all, the more fun we will have with our nanners!
Abnshrek
02-12-2010, 01:54 PM
I say elbow grease, seven dust mixed w/ soap & water do the trick :^)
parid09
02-12-2010, 02:22 PM
Do you wipe it off, or just let it dry after app?
Abnshrek
02-12-2010, 02:36 PM
wipe & leave residue :^)
LilRaverBoi
02-12-2010, 03:49 PM
I use the Sandy Method (recommended to me by Sandy here on B.o): water (think she said a gallon, but I don't really measure things...just toss it together LOL) + 1 tablespoon of suave coconut shampoo + 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Put this in a spray bottle and thoroughly douse every portion of the leaves top/bottom. Repeat in a week or so and as needed after that. I haven't seen spider mites for MONTHS until recently I saw some small webs (but no damage) and retreated....nothing since.
parid09
02-12-2010, 04:44 PM
Yeah, whatever I have done, it seems to knock them down for awhile, but they will re-surface. Big thing for me seems to be the wiping method near the midrib and margins, especially on the leaf bottoms, to get rid of eggs. They also seem to go into a period of not much activity when light is low, only to come back when things get brighter... keep up the posts... we'll get 'em fighured out yet!!
sandy0225
02-12-2010, 08:14 PM
Spider mites like low humidity and bright light. Like in my greenhouse with the pool with no exhaust fans or misters in the summer where it was getting up to 110 even this cool last summer.
The best thing I've found to fight them is 1T suave shampoo (whatever your fave scent is, I like coconut and I also like the orchid blossom one, or the aloe and waterlily scent) and 1T cooking oil in 1 gallon of water. Shake it up until it looks milky (emulsification). Spray it on the top of the leaves, the bottom of the leaves, on the stem until it's dripping off and well coated. If you have a lot of spraying to do, shake the sprayer often to keep it mixed up.
If the plants are real little, put it in a bucket and dunk them upside down in it. do this once a week until the mites are gone. Don't do it more often than that, It really doesn't help if you have good coverage. If you have a real bad infestation, make sure a few days later to wipe the mites and webs off the plants. Otherwise you keep trying to "kill" the same dead mites over and over again--because they don't fall off when you kill them. I didn't know that the first couple of years and I know I "killed" the same mites again and again for weeks!
LilRaverBoi
02-12-2010, 08:34 PM
That's okay, Sandy...they deserve to die repeatedly! Hate those things!
parid09
02-12-2010, 09:04 PM
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree... I have "re killed" them knowingly several times myself!!
sirmoebly
02-13-2010, 08:58 PM
I have been using Volck by ortho with great success. I always usually wiped down my plants & that worked great "sponge" just with warm water but I have to many plants now..... This stuff, I just spray and walk away. Oooo & it doesn't smell like dead fish, no smell. Plus it really gives the leaves a high glossy look... The only problem I see so far is when I take the plants outside, serious sun burning is going to happen. But they look good now & no mites. With the greasy leaves &
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=29708&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=29708&ppuser=4702)they don't come back.
parid09
02-13-2010, 09:44 PM
The wipe down method can be time consuming depending on the number of plants you have, and definitely the secret to using chemicals is make sure they are not concentrated by much. I am semi retired with all kinds of critters around so I have the time for water and rub rather than endanger them with pesticides or chemicals. If you are on a busy schedule, all of your suggestions sound great. I guess the best approach for the newcomers is that if your plants have been growing ok up to a point and then stop, look wilted, start getting spots or yellowed leaves, the first thing is just to assume you have mites and go from there. Look with a magnifying glass, especially on the underside of the leaves for mite "dandruff", extremely fine silken webbing, reddish or brownish spotting or mottling. You will often see this before you see the actual mite, because they are so small, but once you see them, follow the suggestions of these great members... they will work!!
tmc2009
03-14-2010, 03:37 PM
Hi, Are there different types of spider mites. The mites on my ice cream are white and also make webs. They look smaller the those red ones I've seen outside. They seem to like to travel on the spine of the leaf like a highway. I sprayed with a product called green light fruit tree spray which is a broad spectrum insecticide, fungicide and miticide but there still there.
Thanks
Tom
Abnshrek
03-14-2010, 05:48 PM
Hi, Are there different types of spider mites. The mites on my ice cream are white and also make webs. They look smaller the those red ones I've seen outside. They seem to like to travel on the spine of the leaf like a highway. I sprayed with a product called green light fruit tree spray which is a broad spectrum insecticide, fungicide and miticide but there still there. Thanks Tom
I use the fertilome version and it works for me, I rarely need it for some unknown reason. :^)
parid09
03-15-2010, 02:54 PM
Hi Tom... Yes there are a couple of different types, but the ones that seem to nail most of us are the "two spotted" types, so named because of the two small dark spots in their mid section. Also, depending upon light, humidity and type of plant they are infecting, they sometimes come in varying colors. I have heard that if they are stressed in any way ( we could only hope! ) they may take on a dull reddish, or copperish color, but there are a huge number of mites of different species, some very beneficial, that are red or reddish. For the most part, they are light yellow, light green or whitish. Try the differnent suggestions found here for treatment if the one you are trying does not work. For the most part, if you have a large infestation, you will more than likely have to repeat treatments... Good luck.. when I set my plants outside for the summer, natural predators keep them in check. Summer is almost here!!!
sirmoebly
03-15-2010, 04:15 PM
Could not say it any better than that.....
saltydad
03-15-2010, 04:17 PM
So far the Dawn dish detergent in water method has worked for me.
parid09
03-15-2010, 07:45 PM
How much Dawn do you mix in per gallon of water?
sirmoebly
03-15-2010, 09:34 PM
Tablespoon will do. I don't even measure, just a squirt & let it work.... I like the other stuff better, because it keeps your leaves alot more greasy witch totally stops mites but this method does work OK, for a while......
saltydad
03-15-2010, 10:36 PM
Actually I only add a few drops per quart.
parid09
03-16-2010, 06:24 AM
Thanks! I tried the "if this much works, then let's try three times as much" approach, and pretty much nuked the whole bunch.. I think I suffocated the leaves. The only thing that saved the plants I had at the time was being close to summer, I put the "wreckage" outside and let ma nature take it's course. They came back, but it was close. I wouldn't exceed the tablespoon per gallon by much! Live and learn, right?
nannergirl
03-16-2010, 04:35 PM
Sandy I love that recipe, if my nanner is near a window that gets about 6 hours of sun will the cooking oil burn or cook the leaves?
Cheers,
Gail.
Patty in Wisc
03-20-2010, 12:53 PM
I use about 1 TBLS Dawn dish soap (because they say it is thicker & sticks better) to about 3-4 cups HOT tap water - works every time. One gal water sounds like too much to me. Spray & don't wipe till maybe the next day - getting dead ones off. If it drips on the carpet or floor, no big deal (unless you put oil in). Just watch out for that leaf hanging over the sat box next to tv - water ran off & got in the box once...thank God it was under warrantee (no, I never confessed LOL). I will try adding a little oil in next time -per Sandy's recipe.
parid09
03-20-2010, 01:28 PM
Thanks for the info, Patty. Not sure where you are in Wi. but I live in Cambridge. I may have some free, very large banana plants that won't be able to fit back in my sun porch when winter comes. I will cut some down, and restart from the suckers, but won't be able to do this forever... Thanks!!
Patty in Wisc
03-20-2010, 02:40 PM
Thanks for the info, Patty. Not sure where you are in Wi. but I live in Cambridge. I may have some free, very large banana plants that won't be able to fit back in my sun porch when winter comes. I will cut some down, and restart from the suckers, but won't be able to do this forever... Thanks!!
Cambridge, Wisconsin? Didn't know there was one here LOL.
Don't worry about them getting too big. You can always put the big ones to sleep for winter! I have 4-5 dormant right now. In fall, just cut all leaves off & brush as much dirt off rootball as you can, then lay it on floor - like in cool basement or garage, & cover it to keep it dark & dry. Or, you can lay them up against a wall in a cool room. Then in spring, plant them. I pot them up first to get them started & then plant inground once adapted to sun.
parid09
03-20-2010, 02:53 PM
O.K., we will give that a shot. I have Daj Giants, Balbesianas, Sikkis and Basjoos.. Basjoos will be going into the ground this year and I have a nice sunny protected spot for them... mulch the crap out of 'em for winter. Will the othere do ok in "shutdown" mode? Cambridge is due east of Madison about 20 miles, and yes, it is just a wide spot in the road.. Ole Evinrude tried the first outboard here on the lake. At least this way, I won't have to battle spider mites all winter!! Thanks.
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