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When heat is on, spider mites attack

Web-spinning pest loves hot, dry conditions

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED JUN 17, 2021

Spider mite webs catch all kinds of tree debris. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Some pests LOVE this heat. The hotter, drier, dustier the conditions, the more they thrive. Topping that heat-loving list: Spider mites.

Where are they? Just look for the fine webs.

Right now, several of my shrubs look like they’ve been web-bombed. Leaves of my Christmas camellias are so coated, they pick up all sorts of garden debris – anything dropping from nearby trees or blown into the webbing by gusts of wind.

Spider mites don’t mind. These itty-bitty arachnids thrive in hot, dry, dusty conditions. Their favorite food? Water-stressed plants. During this record heat, just about any plant can fall into that category.

If it seems like spider mites and their telltale webs came out of nowhere, they almost did. According to the UC Cooperative Extension master gardeners, spider mites can multiply rapidly during these conditions.

“If the temperature and food supplies are favorable, a generation can be completed in less than a week,” say the master gardeners’ pest notes.

No bigger than a pinpoint, a spider mite is a teeny-tiny arachnid, the same eight-legged class that includes spiders and ticks.

Spider mites spin fine-textured webs, which are much more noticeable than the tiny creatures. They attack just about any plant from strawberries to full-size trees, sucking out moisture.

This camellia has several spider mite webs on the leaves.

Beneficial insects usually can outnumber the spider mites and keep them under control. But when the weather turns unusually hot and dry (like right now), predators retreat, allowing the spider mite populations to explode.

What’s the best cure for spider mites? Water. Take the hose and spray dust (and bugs) off leaves, making sure to get the undersides of foliage, too. A strong shower disrupts spider mite paradise and holds them at bay until the real rains come (hopefully) in fall. It also gives those natural predators a chance to catch up with their mite munching.

To keep spider mites away all summer, regularly water your landscape. Irrigation is key to spider mite control; this pest prefers life hot and dry. Whether you see webs or not, occasionally wash off foliage, especially of large shrubs such as camellias or roses. Your plants will be happier and healthier – only the spider mites will be gone.

For more on spider mites:

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html

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Keywords:

extreme weather gardening Sacramento integrated pest management spider mites vegetables heat pests trees dry conditions flowers

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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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