We all know that houseplants can add beauty to our homes. Unfortunately, many plants may need special care from time to time. During the early spring many people begin to notice the signs of spider mite infestation on their houseplants. A member of the same family as spiders and ticks, spider mites are light green or brown in color and about the size of a grain of salt. These nasty little buggers feed by sucking the sap from plants, leaving the leaves discolored, turning them rusty-brown or yellow in color. Luckily, in most cases of spider mite infestation the houseplant can be saved. Read on to find out how to remove spider mites from your houseplants.
Search for spider mites on you houseplants by holding a sheet of white paper under the leaves. Tap on the plant with your fingers to dislodge the spider mites. The mites will appear as tiny dark specks on the paper.
2
Determine if the plant is worth saving. If it is a small plant with a large infestation of spider mites, you might consider discarding the plant before the mites have a chance to spread to other plants.
3
Carry the houseplant outside. Take the small pruning shears and remove any heavily infested leaves by cutting where the leave joins the stalk of the plant and discard.
4
Use the water hose to spray off the houseplants with a forceful stream of water. This will dislodge any webbing and remove the majority of the spider mites.
5
Spray the plant until saturated with a pre-mixed insecticidal soap which can be purchased at any garden center. Be sure to spray under the leaves or any where spider mites might be hiding such as the base of the plant.
6
Use the water hose to rinse off the plant before the insecticidal soap has a chance to dry on the plant.
7
Continue to repeat steps 1 to 7 every two weeks or until you no longer have spider mites on your houseplants.
Tips & Warnings
Insecticidal soaps are one of the safest insecticides to use on houseplants and should always be used whenever possible.
Removing the insecticidal soap before it has a chance to dry on the plant will protect tender leaves from burning.
Insecticidal soap should always be slightly cloudy or clear in color. A solution that is solid or white in color is no longer usable and will damage your houseplants.
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