I noticed a few days ago that several of my houseplants’ leaves had this weird webbing underneath them and little brown spots on the top. When I looked up the cause, I discovered spider mites, though I don’t see any bugs on my plants. Unfortunately, the article I found didn’t tell me how to get rid of them. It only said they reproduced crazy fast.
Can you please tell me what to use to kill spider mites?
Carrie Gonzalez – Fairfax
Spider mites may be tiny enough you can’t see them unless you are using a magnifying glass, but they certainly leave visible evidence they are there. You can find their webbing and bite marks on both outdoor and indoor plants. You need to treat them quickly, or you’ll have hundreds of the things before you know it.
If you think a plant is infested, make sure you keep it away from other plants. Once you isolated it, water it regularly. Also, make a DIY spray for spider mites with rubbing alcohol mixed with equal amounts of water and spray the infested plants. The alcohol effectively breaks down exoskeletons, and the mites die.
There is another great way to deal with these unwanted pests. Spider mite control with neem oil is fast and easy. Mix up a batch of neem oil, water, and dish soap. Spritz all leaf surfaces and stems to eliminate spider mites. You can also use this solution as a soil drench that is soaked up by the roots, repelling the mites because of the unpleasant taste.
For other ways to get rid of spider mites, including using other mites to do so, you can check our detailed guide here: https://www.tipsbulletin.com/how-to-get-rid-of-spider-mites/
When you’ve eliminated the spider mite threat, be sure to regularly water and dust your plants. These mites don’t like the wet, so damp plants aren’t as tasty to them.