One important thing to note is that spider mites are immune to most "insecticidal" treatments, as they are in the arachnid family (like spiders) and not insects. I went through the trouble of applying the systemic granules to the majority of my plants, only to learn that it only treats one type of spider mite and not all of them. Erika's advice of making the neem/soap mix is the best option! If treating for spider mites, just make sure whatever you're using specifically mentions that it treats spider mites - like neem oil or Captain Jack's dead bug brew.
Great video! Super informative! One thing I would add is to actually rub all the surfaces of your plant when you're rinsing them to remove eggs and webs as rinsing them may not remove them entirely. Thanks for the awesome video, Erika! :)
Thank you so much for this video! I am pretty new to plants and initially they were a huge help with my anxiety. Then, I saw spider mites for the first time and totally panicked! Your approach to pests being a part of life and not a death sentence is really refreshing. I also feel a lot more encouraged to know I'm not a bad plant parent!
Great tips & hacks, Erika! I've lost TWO plants in the past nine months to spider mites. I came here for the 4-1-1 on prevention and now feel so much better informed. Before my Cat Palm was attacked with a horrific infestation, I had never even heard of spider mites. Worms even erupted in my bathroom! More recently, I lost my beautiful 6" Mammilaria cactus. (It ultimately imploded.) Now, I quarantine and clean all new plant babies before allowing them to join the family.
Thanks so much for this, Erika! FYI for anyone interested in these kind of details: re: the addition of the “soap”-Dr Bronner’s is a surfactant-based cleanser (technically, it’s not soap which is made using lye; it can be more gentle on skin). A lot of surfactants act as solubolizers in low levels of oil-in-water formulations and that’s why it’s included here because, as we all know, oil and water don’t mix :-) It’s there to blend the two main ingredients together because if you don’t properly blend the two, you could be spraying too high a concentration of the active (which, in this case, is the neem oil) onto your plants and damaging them. I formulate skincare at home (just as a hobby; I don’t sell my stuff) so I have solubolizers here but most people don’t and so the Castile soap is a great substitute as it’s affordable and widely available. It works fine for such low levels of oil. If you were to try to mix 30% oil in water using Dr.Bronner’s, you may have an issue. But Erika’s recipe is perfect and she’s obviously tested to ensure plant-safety (I mean, there’s always that one plant that doesn’t make it... we’ve all had those... mine unfortunately was my most expensive plant I ever bought 🤦🏻♀️). The very low % of peppermint essential oil may be irrelevant though. Peppermint e.o. can allegedly ward-off certain insects (and rodents) - it acts as a deterrent - but I would think the level needed would be much higher than what you get from 1/2 tsp of Dr Bronner’s where the e.o. is already highly diluted for human topical use. So, if anyone reading this has a different type of Castile soap at home, I wouldn’t bother spending more to get the peppermint one specifically unless you want it for scent (although, as Erika points out, the neem is so potent it’s not going to cut through anyway... unfortunately... 👃🏻).
this video is so great and helpful! i've lost so many plants to spider mites and it's so devastating becayse it seems like mites are one of those pests that appear so quick that it's difficult to get a handle on them
thanks for the encouragement that not all hope is gone lol! My first time dealing with these little critters and I almost told myself that I didnt care if my plants didn't make it, but please let my monstera make it through! I want all of them to survive this! lol Tomorrow I'll spray them down again. I also made my own recipe, but I used peppermint oil. I came across someones page who said it works similarly to Neem oil but he couldn't stand the smell of it. Hoping it works!
Persoonal experience with spider mites, neem oil and soap NEVER works, they come back in a week, because usually this only kills adults but not the eggs, and some plants react to the solution. Of course humidifier is a must, other than that, the best way I've tried so far is to use a soft damp paper towl to carfully wipe the infected leaves, both front and back, and take extra care of the ditches around the vein, that's usually where the eggs are. you will see green on your paper towl after doing this, that's the leaf juice spider mites sucked from you plants. This keeps spider mites away for weeks until next infestation. I had this colocasia infested so bad with spider mites, I did the neem, the soap, no luck, and because the leaves are so thin, they curled up after the treatment. I kept that plant in my 85%+ humidity terrarium, believe it or not, spider mites came back again. Finally I got so angry and desperate so I used the damp paper towl method and put that poor plant right under my humidifier turned on 24/7, now it's growing new perfect leaves.
My plumeria had spider mites. Not surprise since it’s sitting next the the vent and hot air circling around it. Im just keeping a careful eyes for the plants in my room, which is where almost all of my collection is
I haven't come across the Mite X, but I have used Bonide's "Rose RX" (which is neem based) and their "Tomato & Vegetable" (which is sulfur based) with pretty good success, but you have to be very thorough in spraying the whole plant and soil down and it usually takes a few times to eliminate them completely.
I mix some neem oil in with a bottle of insecticidal soap. To keep the smell down I add some lemon or Orange oil. First I rinse the plants and rub down the leaves and stems, then spray. And let they air dry at the sink or tub.
Yesss Been Waiting For This 🙌🏼 Also Spider Mites, Pests Love Humidity 💦 I Live In Alaska & Here It's Already Winter & I Keep Mine Under Grow Lights💡 & I See Webbing Under My Calatheas & Prayer Plants. Thanks For This Upload Ericka😉👌🏼
So i saw a great solution is to soak the plant and leaves in neem and soap. Tie off dirt and soak plant for 5 minutes in a bucket. Weird part is that my plant was not dry or sick of course my alcosia.
We're lucky that we don't need heating in the winter, so our spidermite season is actually in the summer. We've learned that our Dendrobium orchids are magnets for spider mites, so we just have to keep an eye on them, the mites always go for them first!
Hi Erika! I love your videos💛 Can u pls add subtitles (even just auto captions) to the video for accessibility? I tried to click CC but it says no captions available for this video😞
Hi erika, you might not lose plants because of spider mite.but the succulent and sedums they are the plants those these spider mites kill very very easily 😞 l lost few
my oxalis die from spider mites. I just saw the flakes and because that plant is so delicate I just decide to trash it. my calathea have that (like honey in the back) but no sing of best, but for SURE!! THAT PLANT IS CRAZY TO GET SPIDER MITES
Erika! Great video! I love that neem oil it works wonders, I have noticed if I mix a little rubbing alcohol in my neem mix it helps with the smell. Also it helps with the killing of them lmfao
So if your alocasia has spider mites inside your plant cabinet, does that mean all your plants inside that cabinet have mites? Or do they stick to certain plants and avoid the rest all together?
Spider mites are very contagious, if you have a plant with spider mites inside a cabinet then almost certain the other plants will have it also, so every plant should be treated
I've had a lot of plants for a couple of years now and have never had spider mites or thrips. I'm just waiting for the day those suckers find my plants somehow...I know it's coming.
You need to do a few different methods to get rid of them pyrethrum spray, spray every where on the plant repeat in 4 days ,allso bug bombs with spider killer, ps thay still will come back ,it's neaver ending,
Can you use this mix to water your houseplants to ? I’ve ordered the exact soap and I have lots of cold pressed been oil. Ready to de bug !!!!!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬💯😂😂😂lol
One important thing to note is that spider mites are immune to most "insecticidal" treatments, as they are in the arachnid family (like spiders) and not insects. I went through the trouble of applying the systemic granules to the majority of my plants, only to learn that it only treats one type of spider mite and not all of them. Erika's advice of making the neem/soap mix is the best option! If treating for spider mites, just make sure whatever you're using specifically mentions that it treats spider mites - like neem oil or Captain Jack's dead bug brew.
Great video! Super informative! One thing I would add is to actually rub all the surfaces of your plant when you're rinsing them to remove eggs and webs as rinsing them may not remove them entirely. Thanks for the awesome video, Erika! :)
Thank you so much for this video! I am pretty new to plants and initially they were a huge help with my anxiety. Then, I saw spider mites for the first time and totally panicked! Your approach to pests being a part of life and not a death sentence is really refreshing. I also feel a lot more encouraged to know I'm not a bad plant parent!
Alexandria, who KNEW plants could get communicable diseases?!?
Great tips & hacks, Erika!
I've lost TWO plants in the past nine months to spider mites. I came here for the 4-1-1 on prevention and now feel so much better informed. Before my Cat Palm was attacked with a horrific infestation, I had never even heard of spider mites. Worms even erupted in my bathroom! More recently, I lost my beautiful 6" Mammilaria cactus. (It ultimately imploded.)
Now, I quarantine and clean all new plant babies before allowing them to join the family.
Thanks so much for this, Erika!
FYI for anyone interested in these kind of details: re: the addition of the “soap”-Dr Bronner’s is a surfactant-based cleanser (technically, it’s not soap which is made using lye; it can be more gentle on skin). A lot of surfactants act as solubolizers in low levels of oil-in-water formulations and that’s why it’s included here because, as we all know, oil and water don’t mix :-)
It’s there to blend the two main ingredients together because if you don’t properly blend the two, you could be spraying too high a concentration of the active (which, in this case, is the neem oil) onto your plants and damaging them.
I formulate skincare at home (just as a hobby; I don’t sell my stuff) so I have solubolizers here but most people don’t and so the Castile soap is a great substitute as it’s affordable and widely available. It works fine for such low levels of oil. If you were to try to mix 30% oil in water using Dr.Bronner’s, you may have an issue. But Erika’s recipe is perfect and she’s obviously tested to ensure plant-safety (I mean, there’s always that one plant that doesn’t make it... we’ve all had those... mine unfortunately was my most expensive plant I ever bought 🤦🏻♀️).
The very low % of peppermint essential oil may be irrelevant though. Peppermint e.o. can allegedly ward-off certain insects (and rodents) - it acts as a deterrent - but I would think the level needed would be much higher than what you get from 1/2 tsp of Dr Bronner’s where the e.o. is already highly diluted for human topical use.
So, if anyone reading this has a different type of Castile soap at home, I wouldn’t bother spending more to get the peppermint one specifically unless you want it for scent (although, as Erika points out, the neem is so potent it’s not going to cut through anyway... unfortunately... 👃🏻).
Thank you! :)
Soooo… if you let your plants get too dry, you might get spider mites, and if you let them too humid, you get fungus gnats. Great! 🤡
HA isn’t that right! Ugh tbh I rather have fungus gnats over anything else though! Get a carnivorous plant (sundew specifically) for fungus gnats 👍
I’m tired of fungus gnats flying into my face but spider mites seems more disastrous
this video is so great and helpful! i've lost so many plants to spider mites and it's so devastating becayse it seems like mites are one of those pests that appear so quick that it's difficult to get a handle on them
Good strong magnifying glasses kept near your plant areas are so helpful! Then you can catch the problem before it multiplies.
thanks for the encouragement that not all hope is gone lol! My first time dealing with these little critters and I almost told myself that I didnt care if my plants didn't make it, but please let my monstera make it through! I want all of them to survive this! lol Tomorrow I'll spray them down again. I also made my own recipe, but I used peppermint oil. I came across someones page who said it works similarly to Neem oil but he couldn't stand the smell of it. Hoping it works!
Persoonal experience with spider mites, neem oil and soap NEVER works, they come back in a week, because usually this only kills adults but not the eggs, and some plants react to the solution. Of course humidifier is a must, other than that, the best way I've tried so far is to use a soft damp paper towl to carfully wipe the infected leaves, both front and back, and take extra care of the ditches around the vein, that's usually where the eggs are. you will see green on your paper towl after doing this, that's the leaf juice spider mites sucked from you plants. This keeps spider mites away for weeks until next infestation. I had this colocasia infested so bad with spider mites, I did the neem, the soap, no luck, and because the leaves are so thin, they curled up after the treatment. I kept that plant in my 85%+ humidity terrarium, believe it or not, spider mites came back again. Finally I got so angry and desperate so I used the damp paper towl method and put that poor plant right under my humidifier turned on 24/7, now it's growing new perfect leaves.
My plumeria had spider mites. Not surprise since it’s sitting next the the vent and hot air circling around it. Im just keeping a careful eyes for the plants in my room, which is where almost all of my collection is
Thank you for the advice!!
Please share your new grow lights to help us get ready for this season..
I ordered the predatory bugs that eat them a few days ago, the spray seemed to do a good job but I wanna be sure
I just grabbed my captain jack and will spray everything down. Thanks for the reminder 🤣🤣🤣
Great video. So informative and encouraging. 💚
P.S. Look at you posting daily videos and more! Nice work. 👏
I haven't come across the Mite X, but I have used Bonide's "Rose RX" (which is neem based) and their "Tomato & Vegetable" (which is sulfur based) with pretty good success, but you have to be very thorough in spraying the whole plant and soil down and it usually takes a few times to eliminate them completely.
This is super informative, will be ready for them!
My spidermite nemesis are Mt syngomiums! Last year was the worst now I spray my plants off during watering and haven't had many issues
YES! My syngoniums have battled spider mites so much in the past.
I've heard that you can submerge plants in 115° F water for 10 minutes to kill mites. A sous vide cooker can be used to control the water temperature.
I mix some neem oil in with a bottle of insecticidal soap. To keep the smell down I add some lemon or Orange oil. First I rinse the plants and rub down the leaves and stems, then spray. And let they air dry at the sink or tub.
Amazing sharing 🌷🌷👍👍
Yesss Been Waiting For This 🙌🏼 Also Spider Mites, Pests Love Humidity 💦 I Live In Alaska & Here It's Already Winter & I Keep Mine Under Grow Lights💡 & I See Webbing Under My Calatheas & Prayer Plants. Thanks For This Upload Ericka😉👌🏼
So i saw a great solution is to soak the plant and leaves in neem and soap. Tie off dirt and soak plant for 5 minutes in a bucket.
Weird part is that my plant was not dry or sick of course my alcosia.
We're lucky that we don't need heating in the winter, so our spidermite season is actually in the summer. We've learned that our Dendrobium orchids are magnets for spider mites, so we just have to keep an eye on them, the mites always go for them first!
Hi Erika! I love your videos💛 Can u pls add subtitles (even just auto captions) to the video for accessibility? I tried to click CC but it says no captions available for this video😞
Thanks for the video!
Hi erika, you might not lose plants because of spider mite.but the succulent and sedums they are the plants those these spider mites kill very very easily 😞 l lost few
my oxalis die from spider mites. I just saw the flakes and because that plant is so delicate I just decide to trash it. my calathea have that (like honey in the back) but no sing of best, but for SURE!! THAT PLANT IS CRAZY TO GET SPIDER MITES
Erika! Great video! I love that neem oil it works wonders, I have noticed if I mix a little rubbing alcohol in my neem mix it helps with the smell. Also it helps with the killing of them lmfao
Have you tried lost coast plant wash ?
I haven’t, but if you recommend it I will try it lol
They send a free sample too.
So if your alocasia has spider mites inside your plant cabinet, does that mean all your plants inside that cabinet have mites? Or do they stick to certain plants and avoid the rest all together?
Spider mites are very contagious, if you have a plant with spider mites inside a cabinet then almost certain the other plants will have it also, so every plant should be treated
A flash light and a magnifying glass helps to see the webbing too. I hate pests!
I’m literally struggling with this exact problem on my Calathea Ornata! 😖
I've had a lot of plants for a couple of years now and have never had spider mites or thrips. I'm just waiting for the day those suckers find my plants somehow...I know it's coming.
Thanks for sharing
💚❤️🪴❤️💚
Great video! Just found spider mites on my alocasia stingray last night.
You need to do a few different methods to get rid of them pyrethrum spray, spray every where on the plant repeat in 4 days ,allso bug bombs with spider killer, ps thay still will come back ,it's neaver ending,
Thank you 😌
I know people that will dunk a plant in ice water followed up with a spray routine
I just treated my plants, I found mites on my Alocasia Polly 🤯
Can you use this mix to water your houseplants to ? I’ve ordered the exact soap and I have lots of cold pressed been oil. Ready to de bug !!!!!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬💯😂😂😂lol
I have been struggling to get rid of spider mites off my banana tree for two years now 😩
👍🏽🙏🥰