Getting Rid of SPIDER MITES 😳🕷🪴 symptoms, treatment & prevention

[@sharonbrown5238]

I found mites on one of my plants and was for freaked out I completely treated everything in my collection and it’s a large collection of between 250-300 plants. I don’t think I’ve ever been so exhausted when I got done. It’s a lot of work but worth it to keep your plants safe from them

[@GoodGrowing]

Oh wow that sounds like a mammoth job! Props to you for getting through it and I'm sure your plants really thanked you for it!

[@indoor_plant_life_uk_3376]

Yes! Thank you for this video!! I’ve been going through this myself! I have a plant a month ago and is doing better and then found another plant last night that has them!!! 😭😭 Thank you for the info!! 💚🪴💚🤞

[@GoodGrowing]

Ah such stress! I hope that you're able to get rid of them quickly 🤞

[@indoor_plant_life_uk_3376]

@@GoodGrowing Thank you ☺️ that is so sweet of you! 🥰🪴

[@chetfoster6836]

Thank you for the helpful information… I had Elephant ears in two different places in my house they both caught the spider mites and in my research I found the Rubbing alcohol recipe at 1/4 cup quart with me I using a half squirt of dawn bubbles in my research I also found that spider mites can build immunity to any chemical so I also use the neem spray that I purchased a big box store I also used sevin and I rotated them through sometimes two or three days in a row and then I would miss a day or two and do another day or two or three and then missing day and then go at it again… my research also showed that humidity did help reduce spider mites as well as airflow… A fan blowing on your plants… I did not have to ring resort to a fan either the humidity trick… However I did spray the outside of my containers and I sprayed the walls and floors around my elephant ears… I also sprayed the dirt in my pots lightly with all of these chemicals my elephant ears did not react poorly to any of these chemicals and I am happy to see they are recovering I have new leaves Appearing on virtually every plant

[@earisu]

This video is a great help. :) I had to use green lacewing larvae on my plants. Because I was dealing with thrips and spidermites, but also saw the occasional mealie bug on some hoyas and aphids somehow in my propagation box. Since lacewing larvae eat anything I felt it was the best route to just tackle everything and get on top of it. I did give my plants that had the worst investation a hosing with water and a wipe down with alcohol a few days prior to getting them to reduce them a bit. I'm going to give my plants a regular hosing in future to keep them clean and manage pests.

[@GoodGrowing]

So glad I could help! It sounds like you've done all the right things! Hopefully the lacewing can keep the pest population right down!

[@thingsiwonder2001]

Hi Emma, your videos are so entertaining and informative. Thanks so much!

[@GoodGrowing]

so glad you're enjoying!

[@foxdogmama]

Emma, thank you SO much for making this video! I bought a Japanese Banana Plant about a month ago (I now cringe when I say that plant name). I was checking my plants yesterday and found the banana plant was INFESTED with Spider Mites. Needless to say - I panicked. I took ALL my plants outside, washed them down with misty water from my hose - tops and bottoms of all the leaves. I then moved all my plants in our garage to “quarantine” them. Once dried I sprayed all my plants with neem oil. This video helped give me some insight on “what to do next” and what not to do in the future. I have learned my lesson: to make sure I check my plants more often, clean my plant leaves more often, and isolate new plants before I add them to my collection. I have a list of “what did I learn from this experience and how to change my plant care” and I plan to stick to it. Is there anything you suggest to add to my regimen? When is it safe to move my plants back into my house? Should I treat them with neem oil more than just two times? Any insight would be wonderful!

[@Barrytong]

Thank for sharing 🎉😊

[@stephaniekieny4031]

I noticed that I have spider mites on my Alocasia Amazonica on the table at my work office. I also noticed that the pink syngonium that I was recently gifted came to me with them so both will need to be treated. This video was super helpful!

[@GoodGrowing]

Oh no! Hopefully you noticed early! Glad I could help though :)

[@heatherstephens9295]

Awesome - thanks Emma 👏👏

[@emmanetts]

Thanks for this video Emma, I had them on my philodendron melanochrysum (well I think I did I only saw webbing) and I freaked out but sorted them, then my other half bought me a Frydek back from the garden centre that had them but I’ve sorted those I think, gonna check again today. I used SB leaf invigorator for the first day, then an isopropyl alcohol mix for a few days after which seems to have done the trick hopefully. I also recently had thrips on my Adansonii, a good wash and a neem oil solution and a repot into semi-hydro seems to have sorted those out! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and happy belated birthday! Xx

[@GoodGrowing]

Sounds like you've gotten spider mite extermination down pat! I think the SBI and alcohol combo is my favourite too. Glad you've been able to sort them so well :)

[@fillebisj6387]

Thank you so much for this video! I have checked my plants regularly and just found one each on two of my one leafed cuttings.. I freaked out and hosed them down and gave them new soil, so hopefully that will do it. Was recommended using soft soap(not sure if that’s what it’s called in English? Called grønnsåpe in Norwegian) so gave them a scrub with this as well. But thank you again very much for the video! It’s my first time noticing any pests on my plants, so this really helped calm me down and gave me some guidance ☺️

[@GoodGrowing]

Glad I could be of help! It’s defo stressful the first time you find pests but it sounds like you’ve done all the right things

[@attfram]

Can i quarantine new plants in ziplockbags?

[@NewbiPai]

thank you

[@loufaucon5520]

Hi Emma, when you talk about isolating the plant and move them away from others. How far from other plants the infested one should be? (I’m in a small flat 😄)

[@GoodGrowing]

It's basically as far as you can put it. Typically I isolate mine in the bathroom (though it doesn't have any windows so I can't leave plants in there that long) But if you can just put them across the room, that will be enough for things like spider mites. Other pests like thrips and fungus gnats that fly it could be more difficult. Just do your best :)

[@loufaucon5520]

Thank you lovely! X

[@therapeuticmelanin7452]

Great video! Iv'e only experienced spider mites once, which was when I bought a new plant home and I noticed some webbing on it. Because it was new, I decided to return to the shop and get a refund. less hassal than treating it and putting my whole collection at risk. I do use diluted neem oil on the leaves but I'm dreading the day my plants get spider mites :-( thank you for sharing this info, take care :-)

[@GoodGrowing]

Yeah that’s the best bet for a new plant if you’re close enough to the shop

[@hollieluedtke]

I repotted a few plants with new soil and they seemed to have come from that soil :( I THINK they are spider mites at least… can they also live in soil?

[@kiznbelle]

Hey there! I found this video because I was thinking I might have some spider mites, and some other bug that is really skinny and kind of a gray or silver color, but I just can’t see enough detail on them (even with a magnifying glass) because they are just so tiny and move too fast. I’m not seeing them on the leaves tho, only seeing them in the soil so maybe they aren’t spider mites. Crazy thing is that my plants are actually doing amazing right now! They are giving me new leaves and blooms for the first time in almost a year of having them (this is on my peace lily plants) so I only saw them because I was stalking the new growth and not because my plants were doing poorly. I hope that means I’m catching it early. I sprayed them with a neem oil solution I bought at the store.

[@GoodGrowing]

so the bug you're seeing in the soil is likely fungus gnat larvae. On the leaves, its possible you have spider mites but it's kind of hard to know without seeing. Hopefully the neem oil does the trick if it's a small issue. If it doesn't I highly recommend the alcohol solution

[@kiznbelle]

@@GoodGrowing thank you for the reply! I definitely think you are right that they are fungus gnats. I ended up finding one on a sticky trap, just one tho. I ended up doing a dumb thing and repotting everything because I dug down in the soil and saw some worms (my plants have never been outside) and it freaked me out. Now all my plants are either in shock or got overwatered from the repotting. Definitely going to be more careful in the future when I bring new plants in the house. Pretty plants are just so darn addicting lol! Thank you again for the response!

[@windkraftusa_]

today i noticed my pothos with webs… then i saw the mites! i sprayed the plant so good but i might have overwatered the plant in the process… it’s drying in my garage. but should i get a spray on pest control? i’m thinking of getting new soil and stuff to change that aswell

[@GoodGrowing]

Oh no!! I wouldn’t worry too much about overwatering in quantity, more so in frequency. I mention a few different spray options throughout the video ☺️ good luck!

[@qltygrl3187]

Is it ok to use an indoor houseplant bug spray as a preventative once or twice a month?

[@GoodGrowing]

it depends on the spray. do you know what's in it?

[@qltygrl3187]

@@GoodGrowing I have captain jack’s dead bug brew. Says active ingredient is spinosad

[@TillyBrown-uf2rn]

Can spider mites be quite big? Ive noticed webbing on a thankfully isolated new plant but the bugs on it dont seem to look like how i hear then described. I can see them and their legs clearly without a magnifying glass

[@GoodGrowing]

what do you mean by quite big? They are typically 1-3mm in size. Could you be seeing actual spiders?

[@crochetqueen6440]

I add Isopropyl alcohol to the solution of neem and dishsoap you mentioned, about a quarter of a cup if talking the same ratio as the video and it works really well! Also, I think I'm going to have nightmares about these cretins tonight haha those videos were terrifying (but helpful AF!) :D

[@crochetqueen6440]

Oh, I stopped there to comment so I see you mentioned wiping down with the alcohol - I do this with the neem/alcohol solution above, I spray the whole plant down, then I go leaf by leaf, spraying more if it's dried off, with an old foundation brush, and I brush along the direction the veins are on the leaves, paying specific attention to the middle vein at the back of the leaf, as this seems to be where the biggest concentrations of mites live, and also the point at where the petiole meets the leaf, in the wee divot as if there is webbing this is often where you will find it. So I do it over the whole plant and repeat at weekly intervals until no mites left!

[@GoodGrowing]

Houseplant pest nightmares are the worst!! But good tip on the alcohol! I’ll have to give that a go next time I mix up a neem solution! Thanks!

[@hotpink000]

Do the predatory mites bite or cause another type of problem?

[@GoodGrowing]

nope! they are friends to all but spider mites x

[@nini_nunez]

Would you cut off the stems of a ficus ginseng? I have a BAD infestation but I do not want to get rid of it 😭

[@GoodGrowing]

I usually prune off heavily infested areas of any plant. I've not specifically had ficus ginseng so I can't say for sure, but that is always my first instinct

[@johncha4495]

Do they bite people ?

[@earisu]

No, they don't.

[@GoodGrowing]

nope, just plants

[@f1baby89]

These sound and look like something I've found on my plants but not on my plants in the soil

[@GoodGrowing]

many soils have harmless soil mites but they usually don't make webbing...

[@f1baby89]

@@GoodGrowing no, no webbing at all ,undersides of leaves look clean and healthy. Just looks unsightly 🤣

[@maaalene.]

I think I've spotted my first spider mite infestation last week. I noticed white spots and a little bit of webbing on one of my smaller Alocasias, and checking the other three ones close too it, they showed similar signs. (Seems like they really like the nooks of the leaf veins). Besides the newest leaves on my Alocasia Silver Dragon, there doesn't seem to be much damage thought (Also why I'm kind of unsure if it's really spider mites, but are there any parasites with similar characteristics?). Was a little unsure what to do (I only have successfully dealt with fungus gnats and thrips before) I wiped the infested plants down with a soapy solution and then used a systematic pesticide. The next round I will also look into the method with isopropyl alcohol that you described, do you have experience how Alocasias react to that method?

[@GoodGrowing]

Oh no! I hope your alocasias are doing alright! They are somewhat spider mite magnets tbh 🙄 hopefully you’ve caught it early and can get rid of them with only a couple of treatments. I’ve not done the alcohol thing on my alocasias but I’d maybe do a test leaf with 1:3 alcohol to water ratio. But I imagine it would be fine! Good luck!! You got this!

[@Dieppaloveplants]

Im dealing with that too i hate them lol

[@GoodGrowing]

such a pain! I hope you can get rid of them quickly!

[@NatureQuest2024]

Using oil and soap! Seriously? You use soap to get rid of deactivate oils!

[@divadprahs5345]

Friendly advice: be aware that vocal fry and uptalk is painful to listen to. I couldn't finish this video.

[@nosferatuwu]

How timely, right after i noticed red spider mites on one of my ficuses 🥲 Luckily it's a new purchase and was still in quarantine

[@GoodGrowing]

Oh no that’s the worst!! Hopefully you can get them gone