I've Found A Greenhouse Infestation...

[@francesbatycki404]

That was so kind of Growing Locally to notice and tell you about the pest. This year here is my first year with a variety of pest issues but not so bad that I’ve lost whole crops. I was thinking today when I found some eggs on my kale that I have reached a milestone. My garden was almost a wasteland up until last year. Hardly any bugs good or bad. Now I have butterflies, bees, birds, all kinds of good bugs and I’ve got a healthy population of pests but to me this is all a sign that the garden is finding its balance. It’s alive and changing so fast. I can live with a bit of loss here and there just knowing that I’ve brought life into my garden, which a friend just call a demi Eden. Wow. I’m a newbie so that was a real compliment! An infestation hasn’t happened, as with the spider mites, but flea beetles have made a right holy holey mess of a some things. Not pretty but the stuff is still edible so…l. Anyway. This thinking about pests as being almost as welcome as pollinators and predator bugs is a shift in attitude for me but a good one I think. Where there’s life there’s hope and boy, there’s a lot of life out there. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦❤️👍👩‍🌾

[@JBNat]

Love this! Completely aligns with my own philosophy too. This spider mite issue is the first time I've ever really felt the need to "go nuclear" just because they seem to have the potential to explode and fully kill everything in my greenhouse. Losing 25% of my produce is to be expected but 90% definitely calls me to action!

[@linpulver2106]

I had red spider mites a couple of years ago. I stripped off the worst leaves and dragged the plants ourside. They survived and recovered just enough to give me some sort of crop. I don't think the mites liked the cooler, wetter and windier weather.

[@kevinroome8286]

Hi JB. I had a similar problem a couple of years ago on my cucumber plants, in my polytunnel. The problem was White Spider Mite. I used bug killer spray to kill them, it worked a treat 👍. Good Luck🤞 Hope you get it sorted 🙏

[@veg.patch.diaries]

JB I’d recommend checking out Slow Release Sachets for Red Spider Mite (if not for this year, you can use them early next year to catch them as they come out of hibernation ) Ladybird Plant Care is where I get mine.

[@JBNat]

Oooh interesting!

[@LorraineG123]

Well spotted by your friend,best of luck going forward with your plants. Endless battle growing,but worth the effort.

[@davemansell9309]

Very informative JB thank you 👍

[@JBNat]

Glad you found it useful! I've been so glad to see a few people say this made them realise they had the problem just starting too

[@cha97michelle]

I got red spider mite last year. I've not got nearly as many plants in my greenhouse this year, but I've also tried to make it less dry in there this year. They are a pain as its too late by the time you notice it.

[@acolourist1798]

Thank You Jb you have answered a mystery, as I've got this sort of damage on Lemon balm herb plant, thought it was dying back, it looks like the damage you are having. I will be using eco friendly washing up liquid, found before it works, put a lot of bubbles on the plant. Wishing you well with the rescue, be interesting to see how it all develops.

[@emmastace2793]

Years ago I used to grow cucumbers in my parent's greenhouse and red spider mite was endemic. Years of doing it does mean I can spot it pretty quickly - I did raise an eyebrow when I saw your video a few days ago. It's a real danger if you grow under cover - puts me off ever having a poly tunnel tbh. I used to try and clean the greenhouse down each year and then introduce a biological control (I cant remember what one - a larger predatory mite if that exists?) early on to keep it under control. Stopped me losing the whole lot! But my experience was that once you have it in the greenhouse it was impossible to get rid of. I feel your pain!

[@idandidnt]

Second that. It will need a full disinfect and then again in spring next year for 80% hope of eradication.

[@emdeejay7432]

Omg! Wooooow, I had no idea spider mites could do that much damage! Jeez, that's good to know to make sure and stay on top of pest control. I've been slacking on proactive pest control but I need to spray some spinosad and neem oil, that's awful they did that, I'm so sorry. I would be mortified if my squash just shriveled and died. Also, your heirloom tomatoes look beautiful. What variety is that? They seem to be producing wonderfully.

[@JBNat]

Thank you! The tomatoes are probably Marmande or Orange Accordion :) they're the big ones I have growing next to the Cucs

[@SoxInTheGarden]

Omgosh, I’m glad you were alerted to the issue before it was too late!

[@JBNat]

Here's hoping!

[@lisaburns235]

Came over from Tonys channel after he talked about your spider mite problems. Now i know what to look for.

[@jamesreed906]

I noticed the same on my greenhouse brugmansia a couple of weeks ago which is right next to my cukes and melons, lost my cucumbers completely due to it last year. Immediately placed an order for spider mite predators, Phytoseiulus and Amblyseius Andersonii. It was like £40 tho including some ladybird larvae to deal with some aphids on the cukes, so not in any way economic , but we dont grow to save money really do we 😅

[@JBNat]

Good to know, cheers James. Sorry to hear you've got them too!

[@juliewhite2688]

Would Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade) sort it the red spider mite

[@juliewhite2688]

I just looked it up and it will help. I use this to prevent red spider mites in my budgie aviary

[@gardeninjake]

Howdy JB. I've heard Tony Smith talk about you on his channel and in his latest video he showed you channel so I came over and subscribed.

[@JBNat]

Thank you! Welcome aboard

[@davidjohnscully93]

I’ve had a horrific time with pests this year and spider mites were the problem for my grape vines. Specifically they attacked all of the growing tips and actually completely halted its growth. I tried a root drench but it didn’t really seem to touch the sides. In the end the only thing I got to work was using a neem oil spray to completely drench the entire plant. Foliage, stem, every nook and cranny. I had to do that in the evening just as the sun passed the greenhouse and then first thing in the morning I had to spray it all off with clean water to prevent burning from the oil. I did that 4 times, giving the plant a 3 day break in between each application. Honestly if the plant wasn’t perennial I probably would have just gotten rid.

[@davidjohnscully93]

Bloody hell. I’ve just gone to the greenhouse and checked. I also have them all over my cucumbers and melons. I blame you 😂

[@JBNat]

Noooooo!!!!

[@JBNat]

Thanks for the original comment too, really good to know.

[@Jacqui-Pen]

We've had the exact same problem on 2 cucumber plants. So frustrating i believe neem oil & bt spray is illegal now in the uk

[@vanessawilkinson9855]

So sorry JB 😢 I had this in my growhouse last year on my aubergine. There’s a critter for everything. I think Nigel at Muddybootz has used that invigorator. I have an issue with my toms….very dull, not lush green & the leaves have curled….don’t know what to do?

[@dorindamiddleton5418]

You will probably need to pollinate those plants by hand for a while since you sprayed something that will kill your pollinators as well as the spider mites. Give those plants a good feed, and hopefully the strength of the new growth will inhibit the pests. It has been my experience though, that once you go down the pesticide path,different pests keep cropping up and all the good bugs disappear. Hopefully you will come out okay in the long run.

[@AnyKeyLady]

I have some on some of my over wintered chilli's that i keep indoors. I was looking for tips too! lol I have already cut back some of the affected bits so it is slightly keeping on top of it. Not sure i have heard of SP spray before? There are some fruits on the plant so not sure if it can affect them too? We do bottom feeding/ watering too.

[@JBNat]

The spray is called "SB plant invigorator" :) sorry to hear you have them on peppers. I'm terrified of them appearing in my other greenhouse!!

[@bewoodford2807]

I thought my cucumbers were missing a nutrient so have been feeding them up well. Thank you for this very helpful vlog as it has helped me identify that i have red spider mite. Eeeek!!!. I don't have neem or the SB plant invigorator so until I can get some I am going to spray with washing up liquid dilution or even alcohol, as some peopl have suggested. I have had a really heavy crop of cucumbers so I can't really complain, but I would like to keep the plants going for longer if possible. I also have tomatoes and peppers growing in close proximity so hoping I can protect them from the pest!

[@JBNat]

I'm so so happy to see this! Not that you've got RSM obviously, but I'm so glad people are seeing this and realising they have it too so they can take action and save their crops. At least the damage to my plants has helped people!!

[@PamsMountainGarden]

Bad luck, JB! Personally, I would remove the badly infested plants entirely. I have always used Safer insecticidal soap. It destroys the cuticle of the bug. In fact, you can kill them with any soap really but with a product like that, you know the correct ratio. When I lived in New England, I had to try to overwinter many of my plants and cuttings inside because of the harsh temps. Always had to battle spider mites because it was hot and dry indoors, so I got used to spraying as a matter of course. Constantly. You could attempt to raise the humidity in your greenhouses by spraying water on the surfaces. Perhaps you could leave buckets of water around, too. If you get mosquitoes, you’ll need to dump those often. Tough nut to crack but you’ll do it!

[@JBNat]

Thanks Pam :)

[@Lynne-plot35b-36b]

Great advice as always JB hope they all recover and don’t spread further.

[@paulardon9540]

I had red spider mite on cucumbers for several years & used chemical sprays but was unable to get rid of them. In the end I used a high pressure water spray to wash them off the plant. This several times a week kept them in control. You can buy on line a predictor that you introduce to the greenhouse that feeds off the mites.

[@JBNat]

That's great to know Paul, I'm going to try the same spraying them with the hose. I spoke about the predators at the end of the video too! If you're growing at scale I think it's probably worth it!

[@andyhemmings7363]

Do you not trim the lower leaves off as they grow? Cucumber and toms especially. Gets rid of old deseased leaves and greatly improves airflow which is so important to reduce deseased and pests

[@JBNat]

Yeah absolutely. I'd taken lots off the tomatoes but just took off more on that day. The Cucs had a really good prune a few days back but that was mostly sodeshoots and not the leaves. I had no idea the leaves were damaged, just thought they were a little long in the tooth.

[@andyhemmings7363]

@@JBNat I always prune my lower leaves off the toms and cucumber but only usually one a week working upwards. If the plant is very vigorous I'll take two but not more than two, don't want to shock them. Most of the photosynthesis is done on the newer growth and as leaves get old or start degrading they become more prone to disease so get all Edward scissor hands on them. That's what I would recommend. It works for me and aids ripening especially on the toms exposed to more light. Good luck.

[@maureenmcgrath4664]

I used diluted alcohol with little bit of horticultural soap last year on my spinach and lettuce in the greenhouse in late summer and it definitely helped. Didn't seem to damage the plants either. Sorry can't remember the dilutions though.

[@sharon1615]

I'm so sorry JB 😔 hope you can save the plants 🥰

[@mandytaylor1008]

Oh no jb I so sorry for you they like skeletons. Like my brassicas are like when the birds get them. I havnt noticed this on my crops but maybe I havnt really taken much notice. Over the years we havnt really had anything wrong with our crops no diseases. That I know of apart from blight on my toms late in the season.

[@PreatorRaszagal]

😱That sucks! What happens if you remove all the vegetation (kind of like you did)? Will they just die back or will they "migrate" to try and find a new source of food? Also, that dead melon sure was weird. Hope it works out! 🤞

[@JBNat]

The ones that are still on the leaves have been taken off site and put in the bin 😅 I imagine they would migrate and I probably knocked quite a lot on the floor during the removal. They're so so small! I'll continue regular spraying and trying to keep the humidy as high as possible going forward. Fingers crossed!

[@wildberrygarden]

So dissapointing. I'm shaking my fist at those spider mites! Please keep us updated on this.

[@alastairsampson5003]

I've had rsm for the last 3 years on cucumbers, aubergine & luffa but they've never spread to my tomato plants. Last year I tried using a parasitic wasp which did not help at all. This year I'm trying large gravel trays with gravel in and then keeping them topped up with water to hopefully keep the humidity up. Any really bad leaves go in the bin.

[@JBNat]

Sorry to hear it, thanks for the tips!

[@alastairsampson5003]

No need to be sorry JB, all part of the game.

[@dn744]

I use neem oil and soap wash. So far it has kept my plants ok 😊

[@jackiedixon2340]

You could also try garlic spray,in the winter clear your greenhouse spray with jeyes & smoke bomb it,jeyes all the pots etc what go back inside,good luck.

[@stewartw7302]

I’ve suffered with RSM every year that I have grown cucumbers. Last year 5he infection was horrendous; I lost the whole lot just as they started to crop. So, I used fumigant candles to try and kill overwintering mites. Didn’t work. May need more than one application. One say, late autumn and then again, in early spring. Will try that this year. At present, I am rigorously removing infected leaves and spraying all the leaves, both top and underside daily. I seem to be holing the worst of the infection off and cropping ok. will also be using some SB Invigorator I’ve just received. 🤞🤞🤞

[@JBNat]

Can't believe how many people have said similar to you! Seems like a really big problem that I was just totally ignorant to. Hope you get some good results 🤞

[@charlotteoleary196]

I've just checked my cucumber plants and two of them have the mottled leaves! I have put them in quarantine and will do the neem oil wash. ARGH!!!!

[@JBNat]

Oooooh good luck Charlotte!!

[@DigwellGreenfingers]

Neem oil exposure may cause abortion or lead to infertility, and it may cause liver damage in children. Pesticides containing neem oil (Azadirachtin) are banned in the UK

[@Bexyboo88]

Not sure if it's a just been perfect conditions for them but I had absolutely loooooads of them in my little greenhouse earlier this year, I did go in with spray in attempt to cull them a bit, but at the end of the year I need to get eeeeverything out and do a proper cleanup. I had them on a houseplant I bought too, it's was COVERED in them, absolutely disgusting.

[@PeterpegoraroCclub]

Hi JB, We saw your video. Ladybirds or their Larvae eat spider mites which you can buy packets of online & the Company Dragonfli you can get predator mites that i use which eat spider mites. I have had success with Dragonfli

[@nazimchowdhury7307]

I think I pointed this out in one of your blogs.

[@JBNat]

Wow yeah you really did, I just went back and found the coment.... DOH!

[@TheNashsPlot49]

Try DE... chicken coups have lots of spider mites. This is a moisture sucker

[@CardsbyMaaike]

way to go for Grown Local, cos I don't always see thingslike that when I just listen. pesky little buggers, make sure you don't transfer them with shears and gloves of other parts, even house plants. I was told by my grandma a garlic water will work, I never used it, but there's probably recipes our there you can find and it's organic if you use our own organic or bought garlic

[@stephenbrammall2565]

At this point JB, Tony would have had his flame gun out.. 😂🤣😂🤣..

[@JBNat]

😂

[@vbrown1889]

How frustrating!! Can you increase the airflow around your plants or move a few outside? It may help solve any more upcoming issues as the rest of the plants grow.. If it's not one thing, eh?

[@JBNat]

Seems to be that actually ventilation would help these little blighters! I'm going to try and keep the greenhouse as humid as possible by misting and keeping the ground wet 🤞

[@idandidnt]

Mate, watch Laura from Garden Answer. She does have these issues Mostly, they are destroyed and she chucks them and disinfects most things. The fasciation of the leaves is early indicator but the grouping so close is a heavy breeding ground for any virus, disease and especially a pest.

[@Crumbleofborg]

I inherited red spider mite on an old grapevine that was already in the greenhouse when I moved in. Last year (my first season) it attacked the vine and quickly spread, in sequence, to cucumbers, french beans, french marigolds, tomatoes and finally peppers. Last winter I lit a couple of those disinfectant smoke bombs in the greenhouse, and this year I made efforts to keep the humidity up. All to no avail. The spiders started on the grapevine again, then spread to dwarf french beans and cucumber. That's all so far but it's only a matter of time. Next season I'm going to order biological control as soon as the weather is warm enough. Can't hurt (except the wallet, obv).

[@JBNat]

This comment really did fill me with dread (but thank you!) really sorry to hear about your problems. Good luck with the predators

[@newbatling4194]

I'm new here.... have to say your lovely voice reminds me of the equally lovely guy on the mossy bottom videos.

[@JBNat]

Aw thank you!

[@Growveguk]

I eyeballed the possible issue on your last video but thought it could be Cucumber Mosaic Virus so was awaiting another video to see if there was any progression. The more years I get of vegetable growing under my belt, the more I am amazed that each year throws completely different problems at us. I guess the detective work is part of the addiction that growing provides! Keep us posted JB as to how the plant invigorator works

[@JBNat]

Thanks pal!

[@BeFree-BeFrugal]

I’ve had a melon that’s just died I’m going to have a good look

[@CSaville]

The ripe tomato farms on youtube have an interesting video on how to get rid of spider mites in about four or five different ways. Nasty little insects to be sure.

[@JBNat]

Cheers Chris!

[@markshomeandgarden6674]

Neem oil should work . I had a similar problem last year, and neem seemed to do the trick.

[@DigwellGreenfingers]

Neem oil exposure may cause abortion or lead to infertility, and it may cause liver damage in children. Pesticides containing neem oil (Azadirachtin) are banned in the UK

[@mandytaylor1008]

You are certainly learning a lot about gardening you will be able to advise others

[@williamraybould8393]

At the end of the season wash everything with jays fluid and use smoke bombs at least 3 times will help.

[@thehortchannel]

Neem oil? 😲

[@JBNat]

Yes for sure, I love the stuff!

[@christinerees50]

Oh dear ...it's soul destroying .I can't remember if you use a hosepipe but if you do, mist all your plants thoroughly then close your grenhouse to make it humid for 24hrs the spider mites can't cope with being wet .encourage garden spiders and ladybirds into the greenhouse to dine on the little buggers ..good luck

[@JBNat]

Yes that's my plan Christine, thank you!

[@harrymonk6]

Fire is the only way

[@TuftyMcTavish]

My Greenhouse 🍆 have been looking rough, especially compared to the gorgeous outdoor plants a couple of metres away. I’ve already been inspecting the underside of the leaves trying to detect Red Spider Mite, but I think I’ll move them outside when this wind passes.

[@chrissiehart22]

JB burn 🔥 them that should prevent them . Sorry mate that's terrible news. Thank you for sharing x

[@JBNat]

😂

[@locke6531]

👍

[@trevorspray3293]

Jb, try this…. SB plant invigorator, it kills spider mites and invigorates the plant into re GRoth, i used it on dahlias but you can also use it on veg plants

[@JBNat]

Did you get to the end of the video Trevor? 😅

[@emdeejay7432]

I would burn those plants for 2 reasons. 1. Make sure the spider mites are dead and don't try and move to other stuff and 2. I would want to know they suffered in their last moments. 😂

[@JBNat]

😂 I didn't burn them but I did bin them off site!

[@nazimchowdhury7307]

Need oil and detergent really works

[@geraldinekelly1301]

Oooooh JB... KZbin should have a hug button. I hope as many as possible bounce back... pesky red spider mites!! xx

[@linaso9739]

I use garlic smoke tablets or whatever those are called in English. They are suppose to be used in Autumn and Spring, when greenhouse is without any plants.

[@JBNat]

Thanks Linas! I might well be giving them a go.

[@hikerlindacanadianrockies8478]

You might want to wear a mask when you're spraying that kind of stuff - I was watching the spray and it was kind of enveloping you.

[@larryellis2854]

smoke bomb insecto mini smoke bomb

[@BettyBoopBarnes]

Get rid of the worst plants. Those cukes and melons need to go off-site. Not even compost, straight trash. No matter how systematic you think you're spraying, spots will get missed. They are hiding in every crevice. If you want to save the best of your plants, get rid of the worst and pray it's not too late

[@bhalliwell2191]

I know I cite Louise Riotte ("Carrots Love Tomatoes [et c.]" quite often, perhaps too frequently to suit some folks, but I keep her book next to this pc and refer to it quite a lot. She says that spider mite (also called "red spider mite") will show up very suddenly during hot weather. They may be dislodged with a strong stream of plain water, and once knocked off, she claims, seldom return. That does seem to run counter to the information you have, but as the wee beasties are so small it's hard to say if the *same* mites as the ones you blasted off with a strong stream of plain water are getting back on your plants. She also states: Lady bugs are their natural enemies. Garlic will repel mites on tomato plants; presumably she means a garlic spray. A 3% (three percent) oil solution, pyrethrum dust, or a spray of onions and hot peppers may be used. Regarding that oil solution, she doesn't say what kind of oil. So far I haven't had *this* particular problem in the garden, but I had a mess of aphids a few autumns back and that mess was so offensive, odoriferous, and obnoxious I can still recall it in all its disgusting details. I'm afraid I'm not much help, here, but I do wish you success in dealing with this pest (and all others over all your future gardening seasons!)

[@JBNat]

Thanks so much for this! A few people have actually said high pressure spraying might really help, so I did that today. I heard about lady bugs but I have them all over the garden (it's one of the reasons I leave loads of untidy areas over winter) and they don't seem to be on top of this RSM population. Love your language about the aphids 😂 thankfully they're one I find are generally in balance apart from March and April when their predators are still sleepy.

[@bhalliwell2191]

@@JBNat Ah, those aphids. They were all over the undersides of the leaves (which had a severe case of curl) and some of the stems of some Scotch Blue Curled Kale I'd broadcast into a bed after amending it with compost I foolishly *assumed* was safe but which today I suspect was contaminated with aminopyralid. And the plants smelled of decay and...something else which I hesitate to name and which might not have anything at all to do with aphids although the aphids might be the result of a powerful load of free-roaming nitrogen in the kale plants which had turned a uniform, odd color, a kind of light blue-green. Just gross. Didn't try to compost any of this, and didn't hesitate: got a large, very heavy contractor's bag of black plastic and a pair of sturdy gloves, and heaved the disgusting plants with their disgusting pests straight out of the ground and into the bag and knotted it off. Let it sit where the sun could cook the contents before it went into the trash for the weekly trash collection. Maybe you need for the lady bugs *in* the greenhouse. Certainly they won't go hungry! Still wishing you the best of success. Oh---another thought. Some gardeners avoid certain, specific pests by growing certain plants earlier or later in the season precisely to avoid said pests. Whether you can find them in your neck of the woods, there *are* some shorter-season, cooler temperature-tolerant tomato varieties, and I'm wondering now about cucumbers. (I'm assuming you grow in a greenhouse to extend the season or to make it possible to grow certain crops at all. If I'm wrong, please set me straight.) Some varieties, and a couple of suggestions about growing without, or outside of, a greenhouse in cooler areas.

[@65navek]

Had the same problem few years ago, I did what you did what you have done then used Fortefog Greenhouse Fumer 27g Work for me, now I use always when I have a greenhouse clean, wishing you well

[@JBNat]

Thank you!

[@tangerinebabe1]

Pesticides are pretty useless tbh. I'm 100% organic, so you need to introduce ladybirds they love the eggs, larvae and spider. Red spider mites can produce millions of eggs in a few days. Now you've thinned the leaves, which I personally wouldn't have done so many on the cucumbers, open your greenhouse and let the predators in. Think natural. For every insect there's another that thinks they're yummy 😂. Get some insect houses on your allotment.

[@JBNat]

My greenhouse hasn't been closed for months 😅 I do agree with your ethos for sure - I spend half my time on this channel talking about leaving space for nature and encouraging beneficial insects. I have insect hotels, reptile refugia, overwintering plant stems (ladybirds favourite), even a mini meadow! I'm just missing a pond but that should come in future 😊