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Is there a cure for spider mites?

Grab the hose to fight these dust-loving pests

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED AUG 9, 2021

Multicolored oval tomatoes with mite damage

Look closely to spot the mite damage on this Brad's Atomic Grape tomato plant. It's especially evident around the sepals (green "caps") of the tomatoes. Water is your best weapon against spider mites. (Photo: Kathy Morrison)

Hot weather, smoky skies, dusty plants and no rain in sight: That’s paradise for spider mites.

With prolonged dry heat, this summer has seen a spider mite explosion. The itty-bitty arachnids seem to be spinning their webs over everything: Tomatoes, roses, camellias, berries, fruit trees, you name it.

A cousin of spiders, spider mites have built up massive populations in local community gardens as well as backyards. Usually, natural enemies can keep these voracious critters under control. But right now, spider mites are having a baby boom.

Spider mites can produce a whole generation in five to 10 days. Each mama mite can lay 100 eggs. No wonder their numbers can overwhelm a plant in a short time.

Spider mites are so tiny – smaller than the period at the end of this sentence – gardeners usually don’t notice them until they’re mature; that’s when they start spinning their telltale webs.

As they grow, they tend to hide out on the underside of foliage, practically invisible to even the most observant gardeners. Spider mite feeding may cause polka-dot stippling to appear on leaves.

According to the UC Cooperative Extension master gardeners, spider mites attack many fruit trees, shrubs, vines, berries, vegetables and other ornamental plants. Besides tomatoes and roses, they also love beans, grapevines, squash and melons.

The damage at first looks a little like peach leaf curl with foliage developing stipples and turning yellow or red before falling off. Then the webs start appearing, coating leaves and stems.

If left undisturbed, spider mites can overwhelm plants. They’re especially bad during drought conditions (like right now) and can do the most harm to water-stressed plants.

Spider mites can’t be controlled by insecticides – they’re not an insect, they’re a mite. But miticides are not recommended either, since they kill many beneficial insects in addition to the mites, which often manage to evade pesticide sprays.

Neem oil applied in the early stages of an infestation may smother the mites, but also kills beneficial insects including those that eat mites. In addition, neem oil sprayed on hot days can cook the plant’s foliage – eliminating any benefit.

Instead of neem oil or miticides, grab a hose and make it “rain.” Spider mites are proliferating because of lack of rain and resulting dusty, dry conditions on plants. Washing down foliage mimics a summer storm and disrupts the mites’ happy homes.

Insecticidal soap also can be helpful if applied at the first signs of trouble. Make sure to spray the underside of leaves, too.

The good news? Spider mites usually die out in September when their natural enemies can keep their numbers in check. Until then, keep giving plants a gentle morning shower as needed to wash dust and mites away.

For more advice, see the UC IPM pest notes on spider mites: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

UCCE master gardeners tomatoes Sacramento spider mites drought pests roses crops beneficial predators weather gardening heat UC IPM

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Garden Checklist for week of April 21

This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.

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