How to Get Rid of Spiders in My House Plants

Healthy plants are free from spiders.

Spider mites literally suck the life out of house plants and if they aren't dealt with early, these small spiders can multiply quickly. These pests are just barely visible to the naked eye. To determine if your plants have spider mites, hold a sheet of white paper underneath a leaf and then tap the leaf. If there are little dark specks falling onto the paper, the plant has spider mites. Repeat the following steps until the plants are spider-free. It can take seven days or more before the plants become spider mite-free.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic bag
• Humidifyer
• Mister
• Sprayer
• Liquid dish soap
• Water hose

Instructions

1. Move the infected plants away from the healthy plants. Put the infected plants in a completely different room. This keeps the spider mites from moving to the other plants. The spider mites are small and light enough that they can travel on the air currents to other plants.

2. Inspect the plant. If any of the plant's leaves or stems are heavily infested with spider mites, cut the leaves off the plant and throw them into a plastic bag. When the leaves are off the plant, tie the plastic bag shut and toss it into the garbage can.

3. Cluster the infected plants close together. This raises humidity and reduces the air flow between the plants. Spider mites hate humidity and they have a harder time reproducing.

4. Place a humidifier close to the infected plants. Place the infected plants in bowls or containers filled with rocks and water. Do not allow the pots to sit in the water or the plants could rot. The water level should be one-fourth an inch below the tops of the rocks.

5. Mist the plants two to three times a day. Fill the mister with very cold water and spray the plants down. Remember to spray underneath the leaves where spider mites live.

6. Spray the plant with a mixture that is 50 percent rubbing alcohol and 50 percent water. When spraying, focus on spraying underneath the leaves. If the leaves are big or there are not many leaves, wet a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and wipe down the leaves and stems of the plant.

7. Spray the house plants with insecticidal soap. The soap is found in garden supply stores, garden catalogs and online. It is also made by combining one gallon of water with 2 tablespoons of liquid dish soap. Fill a sprayer with the solution and spray the plants to the point where there is runoff.

8. Spray the plants outdoors with a stream of water from a water hose, if the weather is warm and the pots are movable. Don't make the water so forceful that the leaves are torn off or that you damage the plant. This washes the spiders off the plants and cleans the dust and dirt away also.

References

• Esprit de Isle: House Plant Pests and Insect Control
• "The Houseplant Expert"; Dr. D.G. Hessayon; 1980
• "Favorite Houseplants"; Don Dooley; 1976