Spider mite on indoor plants: control methods

A spider mite is a microscopic parasite of 0.5-1 mm. It settles in colonies on indoor plants, interfering with their normal development. Insects prefer to be close to the roots, in the soil, on the stems and leaves. Today, there are a number of effective drugs and alternative methods for pest control.

The danger of spider mites for indoor plants

The tick is a threat due to the nutrition of plant juices. Adults pierce the stems with their proboscis and inject special enzymes that destroy the chloroplasts of the cells.

When the affected specimen is sufficiently depleted, the colony of pests moves to a healthier one. With high probability, it can be said that insects found on one flower have already settled in all the pots standing on the windowsill.

Signs of the appearance of a spider mite on indoor plants

Due to the tiny size of the spider mite, it is almost impossible to see without glasses or a magnifying glass. Insects hide well on the back of leaf blades or just earthen lumps. Adult individuals have mimicry - merge with greens, having similar color shades to it. Wintering females are easier to recognize, they have a reddish tint.

The main signs of the appearance of ticks are:

• Light single punctures on leaf plates that can be seen in the light. At first there are not many, but the number is gradually increasing. Over time, the foci grow and merge into large brown pronounced spots.
• Greens lose their natural color: it becomes yellow, gray, acquires bronze or red hues.
• Leaves change: curls, deformations occur. The same applies to buds.
• Stops growth and development. Photosynthesis is impaired, cells cease to function properly and absorb nutrients.
• In the later stages, a network of thin, barely visible to the eye, cobwebs. Sometimes it is possible to see them only with a large accumulation of pests or on a completely dried plant.

First of all, it is necessary to look for skins that adult individuals shed after molting. They are white grains, similar to dandruff, located on the inside of the leaf. At the initial stages, a web appears between the veins, and you can only see it with a magnifier.

When severely affected by pests, the plant looks sick, lethargic, loses its green crown and can die.

Causes of spider mites on indoor plants

Florists growing a large number of different flora species on windows or balconies will sooner or later encounter tick attacks. Knowing the prerequisites for the occurrence of parasites in the house, their appearance and secondary infection can be prevented.

There can be several reasons for the abundance of ticks:

• A new plant from a store or taken from friends. It is better to keep the newly arrived specimen separately in the so-called quarantine for 1-2 weeks.
• Opened window. Residents of lower floors are most at risk, to which a pest colony can get from the nearest tree. At risk are flowers located on unglazed loggias. A person may bring a tick on clothing or the soles of shoes.
• Contaminated substrate purchased at a store. Another option is soil taken from a flower bed for transplanting.
• Long unused tubs and pallets.
• Heating season in winter. In cold weather, females hibernate and become inactive until favorable conditions occur. Eggs can be in diapause up to 5 years.

The grower needs to conduct daily inspection of domestic plants, because at low humidity and high air temperature, the tick population increases sharply. The female, despite the short lifespan, manages to lay 150-200 eggs in 2-3 weeks, the maturation time of which is 1-3 days.

Indoor plants most susceptible to spider mite infection

All species of this insect can live on almost any domestic plant. However, the spider mite has individual preferences and often attacks plant families such as:

• couture;
• aroid
• citrus;
• arrowroot.

Spider mite control methods: general rules

Fight the parasite should be consistent and methodical. In the absence of systemic spraying, the pest becomes resistant to toxic substances, continues to multiply and destroy flowers.

The general rules of treatment are as follows:

• If ticks are found, all plants standing on the windowsill should be sprayed, and with severe infection in the whole house.
• Damaged and dry leaf plates must be removed and disposed of.
• Carry out water procedures under the shower for indoor flowers, allowable water temperature + 40 ... +48 ° C. For those instances to whom water is contraindicated, a steam bath is suitable. In the bathroom, open a hot tap, and, on the contrary, close the door, leaving the pots for at least 15-20 minutes. Repeat these steps every 3-5 days.
• Disinfect pallets with boiling water.
• Treat the leaves and water the soil with the selected preparation in accordance with the instructions.
• To increase the concentration of poison by putting on and tying a plastic bag around an infected specimen, without forgetting to remove the container from a sunny place.
• Wipe the surface of the pot, window, window sill, frame and glass thoroughly with alcohol.
• To destroy parasites, repeat treatment 2 times after 6 days, as well as change the drug or use additional folk remedies.

First aid measures depend on the degree of mite damage. If there are few individuals, you can remove them mechanically: wipe the leaves with a cloth dampened in hot water with soap. With a small number of adult parasites and their larvae, treatment with decoctions of plants, vegetables and flowers with strong aromas will help. With a sufficient lesion, it is better to use biological products, and if a spider line appears and the green crown begins to crumble, a chemical agent is needed.

After defeating the tick, the plant should be transplanted into a new container, completely replacing the substrate, and the root system should be treated with protective biologics.

Chemical

When using drugs of this group, it is important to strictly observe the dosage and number of treatments in accordance with the attached instructions. Chemicals that destroy ticks are divided into two groups:

• insect acaricides;
• acaricides.

For effective treatment with a pest, alternatives with different components in the composition should be alternated. Many tools cease to fulfill their function after reprocessing.

If you need to use chemicals, you must follow a number of simple but important rules:

• During use, wear long-sleeved clothing, gloves, and a hat to protect skin and hair. The best place to spray chemicals is a balcony, loggia.
• For indoor flowers, choose products with a 3-4 class of toxicity. Highly toxic substances are suitable only for outdoor plants.
• In case of serious infection, it is necessary to carry out not one, but 4 treatments with an interval of 5-7 days.

Examples of chemicals and their use are presented in the table:

Due to the fact that all ticks are similar in structure, flower growers use drugs used in veterinary medicine to treat animals, for example, Neostomozan.

For the effectiveness of treatment, it is better to alternate the use of acaricides and water procedures. Plants in large tubs, as well as specimens with twisted leaves or a curly dense crown, for example, ficus, it is better to dip in a bucket with diluted means greens down for 1-2 minutes.

Sometimes on the forums they suggest using Dichlorvos. This should not be done, the remedy does not help against ticks, but when sprayed in an apartment, it harms human health.

Folk remedies

They are used in the initial stages of the disease, when pests are hardly noticeable, but the cobweb and crumbling leaves did not appear. Examples of recipes are given in the table:

A detailed description of the lesion and methods of combating spider mites on specific indoor plants

Some plants are affected by ticks faster than others. Each flower has its own characteristics in the care, knowing which you can quickly get rid of a colony of pests, without causing even greater harm.

Orchid

The peculiarity of caring for a flower is that it cannot be soaked in solutions and should be protected from stagnation of moisture in the axils of the leaves. After treatment for excessive waterlogging, orchids can get sick with different types of rot. To eliminate such a problem, you should once dip the flower, along with the pot, into the acaricide diluted in water and then dry thoroughly by wetting with napkins folded in a cone shape.

You can also conduct treatment with gentle drugs: Acarin or Fitoverm. After the bark or substrate has completely dried, the drug Fitosporin-m can be added to the irrigation liquid at the rate of: 5 g per 500 ml.

Rose flower

Roses more often than other flowers suffer from tick attacks and need special protection and mandatory preventive actions.

At the first sign of infection, the flower should be washed with water at a temperature of + 45 ... +55 ° C, adding laundry soap in it, and wrapped in a plastic bag for 24 hours. After a while, rinse again under a hot shower, then spray with garlic infusion, and if there are a lot of ticks, use Neoron.

Balsam

This plant also attracts parasites due to fleshy leaves and stems. Damaged balsam needs pruning, it can be done in autumn or winter. The remaining parts should be washed well and treated with Sunmight.

If the infection appeared in the spring or summer, the flower can be treated with soap foam, and then with an insecticide. All actions should be repeated after 3-5 days. If the colony of ticks is very large, then the diseased specimen is best disposed of.

Ficus

To protect ficus from pests, periodic spraying of greens is necessary. If parasites are found on the plant, wipe the leaf plates with a cloth with soap applied to it and cover with polyethylene for a day. After washing with warm water and spraying with divorced tincture of calendula flowers on alcohol.

Violet

Violet does not tolerate liquid on the leaves, so water procedures are contraindicated for it. It is necessary to inspect the flower and remove the damaged greens, and then carry out 2 sprayings with Fitoverm at intervals of 10 days.

Dracaena

To get rid of the tick, dracaena leaf plates can be washed in the shower using household or tar soap. If several such treatments have not yielded results, you can try folk remedies or gentle chemicals, for example, Fitoverm. As a preventative measure, it can be treated with Green Soap.

Anthurium

If ticks are found, the plant should be washed with warm water and soapy foam. Next, conduct a thorough inspection of the leaves and cut heavily infected. Remove the anthurium from the pot, remove the damaged parts of the roots and transplant, adding a fresh substrate. You can perform additional treatment with Acarin, if such treatment does not give results, chemical preparations are used, for example, Bi-58.

Mr. Dachnik recommends: prevention of infection of indoor plants with a spider mite

In order to preserve the flowers, minimize the risk of infection and not waste energy on treatment, it is better to perform the following preventive actions:

• Use caution when buying new plants or replanting existing ones.
• Regularly check for parasites.
• Disinfect the substrate, expanded clay for drainage, purchased in the store, with potassium permanganate solution or calcine on a baking sheet (baking sleeve) in the oven for 40 minutes at a temperature of +180 ° C. Another way of steaming the earth in a sieve with a layer of gauze in a water bath for 20 to 90 minutes. After the procedures, it is important to add yeast or other bacterial fertilizer.
• Treat with special fungicides, such as Fitosporin, Alerin, Agate, Bactofit.
• Conduct a 2-3-week quarantine for new arrivals.
• Arrange a periodic shower for the greens.
• Humidify the air by spraying from a spray bottle; however, it is best to purchase a humidifier.

A spider mite is a dangerous pest that damages a variety of indoor plants and causes trouble for gardeners. However, observing simple rules, performing preventive actions and conducting consistent, systematic treatment can minimize the risks of infection.

Watch the video: How To Kill Spider Mites On Houseplants (April 2024).