getting rid of spider mites
so far we have two plants on the balcony that these things are trying to kill, we tried neem oil on one which is looking like its working but needs every few days a spray of water n neem, we can get to buy any pharmacy products here for it since we need a permit in croatia and we don't have that so any suggestions for treating n killing these mites would be appreciated
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Spider mites are hard to control
Usually they do have natural enemies that keep them in check. Sometimes the best you can do is to try to make your plant as healthy as you can so it can survive.
1. Make sure the plant is in good soil. If it is rootbound or haven't been fertilized in a while do it
2. Make sure the plant gets good air circulation. Move it away from the wall. and make sure the air is not blocked by a balcony wall either.
3. Water is your friend. Since it is in a pot. Turn it upside down and blast the leaves with water twice a day to dislodge the mites.
4 If you are not treating peppers you can try this. It uses things you may have in your home.
5 tablespoons of mild unscented diswashing soap (castile soap, ivory) + 1/4 cup baking soda in 4 gallons of water in a bucket. First test it on the plant only only a few leaves and wait a few days to make sure the solution is not going to do harm. The leaves curl up on peppers which is why you can't use it on them. If they past the test. Stir the bucket well to make sure everything is mixed. Dunk the plants head first in the bucket and hold them there for about a minute. Do this at a cool time of the day, not when it is hot. Don't wet the pot just the plants.
Blast the undersides of the leaves with water twice a day and spray under the leaves with 70% alcohol ( most spayers will attach to the bottle just make sure the sprayer is cleaned out of whatever was in them before). Spray only in the cool of the day.
For good measure make sure you scrub up the balcony once a week.
The water will physically blast them off the plant, but they will end up on the floor and they travel on dust in the wind so that is why you are going to sanitize the balcony.
Good air movement will keep the mites moving on and allow predators to move in and take care of the rest.
Alcohol works pretty well as a general pesticide on soft bodied insects but needs to be applied when the leaves are cool or it can burn.
Soap is an irritant to their breathing systems and baking soda is a dessicant.
Spider mites are a problem in the hot dusty days of summer, usually once the rains come, the heavy rain will knock them off the plants. The main thing is to get your plants into as good a shape as you can so they can survive until then.
Usually they do have natural enemies that keep them in check. Sometimes the best you can do is to try to make your plant as healthy as you can so it can survive.
1. Make sure the plant is in good soil. If it is rootbound or haven't been fertilized in a while do it
2. Make sure the plant gets good air circulation. Move it away from the wall. and make sure the air is not blocked by a balcony wall either.
3. Water is your friend. Since it is in a pot. Turn it upside down and blast the leaves with water twice a day to dislodge the mites.
4 If you are not treating peppers you can try this. It uses things you may have in your home.
5 tablespoons of mild unscented diswashing soap (castile soap, ivory) + 1/4 cup baking soda in 4 gallons of water in a bucket. First test it on the plant only only a few leaves and wait a few days to make sure the solution is not going to do harm. The leaves curl up on peppers which is why you can't use it on them. If they past the test. Stir the bucket well to make sure everything is mixed. Dunk the plants head first in the bucket and hold them there for about a minute. Do this at a cool time of the day, not when it is hot. Don't wet the pot just the plants.
Blast the undersides of the leaves with water twice a day and spray under the leaves with 70% alcohol ( most spayers will attach to the bottle just make sure the sprayer is cleaned out of whatever was in them before). Spray only in the cool of the day.
For good measure make sure you scrub up the balcony once a week.
The water will physically blast them off the plant, but they will end up on the floor and they travel on dust in the wind so that is why you are going to sanitize the balcony.
Good air movement will keep the mites moving on and allow predators to move in and take care of the rest.
Alcohol works pretty well as a general pesticide on soft bodied insects but needs to be applied when the leaves are cool or it can burn.
Soap is an irritant to their breathing systems and baking soda is a dessicant.
Spider mites are a problem in the hot dusty days of summer, usually once the rains come, the heavy rain will knock them off the plants. The main thing is to get your plants into as good a shape as you can so they can survive until then.