I have a beautiful Brugmansia tree that is one of the loves of my life. She is having issues with nasty spider mites and ive been trying everything (organic) with only marginal luck.... misting 2-3X day neem oil, oil of oregano.. etc ... does anyone have any tips on ORGANIC methods.... i really dont like the idea of chemical dish soap on my plants either but i will use as a LAST resort...... I was wondering if citronella oil perhaps not applied directly (toxic to plant??) but in little dishes around the bottom of tree or perhaps somehow citronella soaked sponges tied (not in direct contact with plant) around upper branches would do anything ,,, i know i need to get creative .... anyone know about citronella and spider mites?? also i have noticed a few ladybugs and some earwigs, on the plant ,, are these guys potential predetors (earwig??) ( i know ladybugs LOVE aphids.. do they eat mites as well?) i will post some pictures later to confirm this IS a spider mite infestation but.,. due to the white speckled and yellowing leaving im quite certain... ANY HELP would be SOOOO GREATLY appriciated .. (and helping save my plant would be good karma for you too!!) awesome thanks V
V--I've found the neem to be excellent for this...wonder why you're not getting good control? Mist getting to all the undersides of leaves? Using some kind of surfactant with it?
I think my problem with the neem is i have been preparing mixtures that are too dillute..ie wasnt sure how much to add to my sprayer or if it was toxic in high concentrations... also wasnt sure about using oils on leaves as i somehow had a feeling it may clog the stomata of the leaves and prevent proper gas exchage ... hmmm just curious how much neem oil would you typically use in a 1L spary bottle?? with warm water.. and what kind of surfactant would you use...... muchas muchas gracias!!
Most aroid growers have learned simply raising the humidity level will kill them. Assuming this is outdoors, you may need to water it while misting the leaves more frequently. The accepted method to control them with most aroid lovers is to use a dilute plant oil and/or a plant detergent spray. They don't seem to like either. A recent response on the aroid discussion group Aroid l suggested this method for determining if in fact you have spider mites. "An easy way to diagnose for mites is to hold a clean white handkerchief or piece of paper under a potentially infested leaf and flick the leaf gently with your fingertip. If you subsequently see tiny specks moving on the white field then you know you have a problem." You should keep in mind there are some 800 species of spider mite!
I find spider mites difficult to control at times too. I think vigilance is the key. You really have to spray under the leaves well and repeat the spray for a few weeks. I usually spray thoroughly once per week for three times. Sprays often are not effective against the eggs. You have to get 'em when they hatch out. I don't know much about pests in general, but one of the grad students here was doing research on predatory mites to contol plant eating mites. I have never had a problem with mites outdoors. I assume nature balances them outdoors, but the predators don't always make it indoors with the pests.
V--your caution is probably wise. I believe I have damaged some foliage from time to time with neem, either some species are just sensitive (probable) and/or it is the high temps/sun/dehydrated plant conditions that led to this. I still kinda hold my breath while applying this stuff, oils are a bit dicey I think (on actively growing foliage). Personally I use maybe one or two tsp. per litre of warm water, than add drops of Basic H and swirl until the floating oil disappears (never sure how happy leaves will be with any soap/surfactant so keep it to a minimum). I've also used Safer's soap and Trounce as the surfactant, (Trounce does double duty to knock down adult mites but won't translocate much like the neem apparently does somewhat). At least with Safers (much more expensive) products you know they have been tested for phytotoxicity, and you can use quite a bit to get total emulsifying of the oil.
Hello, I had a terrible mite problem on my kiwi tree (that was diagnosed on this site). I had it for two years before knowing what it was. I sprayed every leaf (especially the underside) each day with a very diluted solution of savon noir (a vegetable-based soap) and water. After about a week or two the mites were completely gone!! Saleve
I'll second the Trounce and the Safer's - they are both organically derived insecticidal soaps (not harsh chemicals like dish soaps or commercial detergents). The whole thing is definitely diligence - you have to make sure you get every leaf thoroughly coated. This said, low dilutions of citronella will probably work, but don't go over 2-3 drops in your sprayer (assuming you're using a handheld, and not a backpack) and I'd personally do a blend between the citronella, neem, and oregano. If you can get tea-tree (melaleuca alternifolia) oil, one or two drops of that will boost killing power without hurting your tree any. Again, I'm assuming that this is an outdoor plant, and you can't do something like drag it into the bathroom and steam it. Check out the thread "spider mites must die" in the indoor plants forum; there's more info on natural ways of killing the little nasties, including suggestions for species of predatory mites, which may be a better idea for you.
