How to Prevent Red Spider Mites on Bananas
Spider mites are tiny, often red- or straw-colored insects that look almost like spiders and are just barely visible to the naked eye. Mites generally live on the lower side of older leaves, but in severe infestations they will move onto the rest of the plant body and fruit. Symptoms of spider mite usually appear as rusty patches on leaves that spread and eventually the leaf turns a gray-brown color and may wilt. Fruit damage will appear as a reddish-purple and black. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Check the banana trees and fruit regularly -- at least every two weeks and especially when the weather is dry -- to see that they are mite-free.
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Clear dust away from areas around the plants as much as possible because the mites thrive best in dry, dusty conditions.
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Keep broad leaf weeds under control around banana trees because they can harbor mites and it will be harder to spot the mites.
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Maintain the trees by trimming leaves and de-suckering, which is the process of digging up a sucker, cutting it from its parent plant, and then replanting it. Do not plant banana trees densely. Leave enough room around them so that you can move around and inspect them regularly with ease.
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Spray a mite pesticide if you feel that is the only way to protect the crop. Follow instructions on the packaging for safety and proper use. However, chemical pesticides also kill beneficial insects that can help to keep the spider mite under control in the first place. They may also be unsafe to your health.
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Spray plants with water regularly, using a hose with a spray nozzle for larger trees, or a smaller spray bottle for smaller plants or for potted banana plants. This will keep the whole plant and fruit moist. Mites do not like moisture.
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Encourage beneficial, predatory insects such as ladybugs into the garden by not using pesticides and by planting pollen-rich plants they love, such as fennel, scented geraniums, dandelions, cosmos, tansy, angelica and yarrow. Encourage lacewings too. They like ponds and moist areas.
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Spray a soap and water solution from a spray bottle onto your banana plants. Mix 1 or 2 tablespoons of soap into the bottle filled with water. Mix well before use. You could instead use borax and soap mixed in the water. This solution will kill the spider mites.
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Tips & Warnings
Check your banana plants frequently if you keep them in a glass house in winter, and keep them sprayed with water to avoid attracting mites.
Plants that are outside in a healthy environment free of pesticides, herbicides and pollution are less likely to have problems with pests.
Remove any infected plants from the glass house immediately.
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Comments
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using soap water helps with most mites and safe.
