Inexplicable white dots appeared on your favorite indoor flower, which gradually grow and merge into each other, and then the leaves just fall off? Or do white cobwebs appear in the corners of the leaves, in which brown dots move upon careful examination? A spider mite has settled on your plant. How to get rid of a spider mite, and how dangerous is it?
The spider mite on indoor plants presents a huge danger, because it is very difficult to remove it, due to the fact that under adverse conditions the female takes refuge in the ground and hibernates until more favorable times. And then it comes out of hibernation and begins to multiply actively.
What does a spider mite look like?
A spider mite is a brown or whitish insect, barely visible to the naked eye, that mainly lives on the underside of a leaf. The spider mite feeds on the sap of almost all plants, piercing with its jaws.
A spider mite colony reaches up to hundreds of insects. Ideal conditions for the active reproduction of this parasitic insect are 27 ° C heat and low humidity. An adult female, living from 2 to 4 weeks, can lay up to 200 eggs that mature in only 3 days. Eggs can be stored in the soil, in cracks on the windowsill, on the pot and bark of the plant for up to 5 years. Therefore, the fight against the spider mite promises to be hot and have a lingering character.
Signs of damage to the plant with a spider mite
The first sign of the appearance of a tick is white dots that grow on the entire sheet. As a result, the sheet dries and falls. If you do not start the fight, then the spider mite on indoor plants will multiply and the plants will soon die. The second, but not obligatory sign, is the appearance of a thin cobweb, which entangles, first the leaves, and then the whole plant. The appearance of a spiderweb on the upper shoots indicates an overgrown and actively breeding colony of pests.
Spider mite on indoor plants: types of control
Remember that the spider mite does not tolerate spraying with water, so plants need to be constantly sprayed with water, and even better with an insecticide solution (Intovir, Karbofoks, etc.) and immediately cover the infected plant with a plastic bag. You can also use "Temik" - a granular preparation for tillage. It is advisable to alternate drugs to avoid addiction and immunity in ticks.
It is necessary to regularly spray all possible secluded places where eggs can be found with phosphoric and sulfuric preparations for the correct destruction of the pest.
If you are afraid to use pesticides, use folk remedies to combat spider mites .
• Take 100 g of garlic and grind, then pour the resulting slurry with a liter of water and leave to insist for a week in a dark place. To spray the plant, take 10g of infusion per liter of water.
• Dandelion root, which can be easily purchased at the pharmacy, helps in the fight against insects. Take 30 g of chopped root and pour a liter of water. After 3 hours, the infusion for spraying is ready.
• For plants for which spraying is contraindicated, use the following method: chop garlic finely and put it on the ground in a pot. Then cover the plant with a plastic bag for 2-3 hours. Instead of garlic, turpentine, poured into a small bowl, can be used.
As soon as you notice the first signs that a spider mite has appeared on indoor plants, infected people must be immediately isolated from the rest, because the mite is actively moving to other flowers. Favorite delicacies of the tick are: palm, balsam, rose and many others. Be vigilant, because treating one plant is much easier than the entire collection.