Chili Pepper Leaves Growing Funky Web - HELP!

[rtetelbaum]

Hello,

I'm extremely new to gardening so let me preface by saying that I really don't know what I'm doing but trying to learn rapidly. I'm growing Chili Peppers in my living room, indoors, on the window sill in a rectangular long plastic pot using Scott's potting mix. The plant has sprung up very quickly and looks healthy. So far no peppers, just leaves.

I've noticed that the larger leaves on top have this fine and thick web growing on them with what looks like tiny orange things moving around in the webbing. Does anyone know what these are? Dangerous? How to I kill them (they keep coming back after I try to wipe away the web)? How to prevent them in the first place?

I've already battled fungus gnats from larva in the soil (I over-watered at first) using some gardening larvacide. Gnats are gone, soil is healthy, but what the heck are these webs on the leaves?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Jess]

Spider mite! https://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/entomology/ndsucpr/Years/2006/july/27/spidermite_wb.jpg
Bound to happen sooner or later with indoor grown plants. I never understand how they find them but they do.
Can you put them outside for a while? A refreshing downpour should get rid of them or the natural predators could get a look in if they were outside. Spiders especially seem to see them off. Find a pet one you can let live on the plant.

In future you can limit the damage by misting the leaves indoors. Spider mite don't like it wet but a yearly outing is the best thing to do. They are very hard to get rid of I am afraid but you can limit the numbers.

[rtetelbaum]

Yup that picture is is it! I live in an apartment building so I don't really have a place to put them outside. Is it possible to get rid of them indoors by wiping away the webbing constantly as well as misting the leaves daily?

Thanks!

[Jess]

Yup that picture is is it! I live in an apartment building so I don't really have a place to put them outside. Is it possible to get rid of them indoors by wiping away the webbing constantly as well as misting the leaves daily?Thanks!

They live underneath the leaves and along the leaf stalks mainly although a heavily infested plant can be completely covered. Use cotton wool to wipe as it is the least damaging to the plant and makes it easy to see how much success you are having. It will stain a reddish brown (yuk!) if you manage to squish enough of them. You will have to keep doing it and very regularly to keep numbers down. The problem is that spider mite will suck the life out of the plants completely given the chance, including the chillis. You may have to change the soil and wash the roots at some point if they become too infested but see how you get on first.
Any chance of adopting a spider hanging out in the apartment anywhere? Just a little non-poisonous one would do fine. Move it to the plants. Spiders cannot see very well!

[rtetelbaum]

hmmm thanks for the info. I'll keep trying to wipe away. Is there a safe chemical I can buy to put in a spray bottle with water for example, to kill these off?

When I had fungus gnats I bought the following to put in the water I used to water the soil:

https://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=1962

First question: This worked instantly and didn't damage the plants! Is there anything like this for spider mites?

Second question: Do these things live in the soil? Will they grow in the soil even if I clean the plants?

Third question: Where do they come from? My house is ultra clean. Was it from contaminated soil?

Fourth question: Whenever I've tried changing the soil for my plants, they always seem to go into shock and die or have a near death experience. What causes this and how can I avoid it when changing soil?

Sorry for all the questions and thank you so much for the advice!

[Jess]

Now you are making me work hard!

Right...
1) there is no bacteria to treat spider mite ( Bacillus thuringiensis is a bacterium) so you cannot infect them. There is a predator of the two spotted spider mite but it is a slightly larger version of the pest. Would you really want a bunch of red spiders running around your room?
https://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=Phytoseiulus%20persimilis&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi
and I mean running. They are incredibly fast. You have probably seen them on a hot day on walls/steps/ in the sun. That is why I have suggested finding a friendly spider (singular) that could build a web and get rid of them for you. There are other predators like ladybirds but they are not so likely to stay put.

2) No, they do not live in the soil but they may well be on the soil. Difficult to see so hard to get rid of.

3) Growing the plants on your windowsill with the window open? They can crawl in. Did you grow the plants or buy them? They could have come with the plants. Unlikely to have come with the soil.
Pests find a way whatever you do. I am sure you place is very clean!

4) Hopefully it won't come to that but if you must then do it when the plant is not actively growing (winter) and as quickly as possible, water them into the new soil add a little blood, fish and bone and leave to recover. Don't mess with them and they will recover better. More plants are killed by being too caring than by ignoring them. Which means put them somewhere warm but not hot, with light but not too much, water them well but don't drown them and forget about them for a couple of weeks.

Phew, now I need a cup of tea!

[rtetelbaum]

wa wa wee wa thanks for all the info.

I grew these plants from seeds I bought and used Scott's potting mix. Just wondering where these bastards came from. They are growing on the window sill on the third floor of an apartment building. This window is always closed and there is a screen anyway (but I guess these guys are small enough to squeeze through).

What about this stuff? Listed as fighting spider mites on the website:
https://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=2816

Thanks for all the advice!

[Jess]

It will control but not get rid of completely which means you will have to keep using it and that can eventually damage your plants.
It kills on contact but as you cannot see them you won't know if you have got them all. It won't kill the eggs.
It also kills anything else living on the plant which means no spider assistance.

Here are instructions on application...
[Apply spray to all leaf surfaces where mites may be hiding. Do the application in the morning because soap can burn foliage when air temperature is high. Before the soap solution dries rinse it off with a spray of water. This final step will remove residual soap that might burn tender leaf tissue. Repeat these steps at 1-2 weeks until you no longer find mites.]

You could use it to start with. Perhaps wipe the plants down with moist cotton wool to start, then spray and then, after a short time, try humidifying around them by spritzing them regularly. Spider mite do not like humidity. All of these measures will control but not eradicate.

A little tip. Don't use nitrogen heavy fertilisers. It increases spider mite activity.

[rtetelbaum]

Thank you for all the help, I'll try this out over the next few weeks and see what happens.