Pests & diseases › Spider Mites
Spider Mites
Microscopic mites on undersides of leaves. Fine webbing in bad attacks. Worst in hot dry weather.
Symptoms
- Fine pale stippling on leaves
- Leaves turning bronze, then dropping
- Fine webbing across shoot tips
- Use a magnifier — red-brown specks on leaf undersides
Lifecycle
Reproduce explosively in hot dry conditions.
What to do
- Strong water jet on leaf undersides daily
- Mist plants morning and evening (mites hate humidity)
- Predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis indoors
- Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
If it's bad
- Sulfur dust (avoid in hot weather, burns leaves)
Stop it coming back
- Keep plants well-watered in hot spells
- Inspect nursery plants
- Clear out dusty conditions — they love dust
Crops it goes for
Plan the plot, track every sowing, cook the harvest
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.