Spider mites can sneak in when outdoor plants are brought in
By Kyle Valentini
October 16, 2012
364
Summary: Be careful when outdoor plants come indoors. They may have pests that come in too to threaten your other indoor plants.
The potted mums on the back porch have made their way indoors more than once as temperatures have dipped below freezing. Last night I noticed one plant was infested with spider mites.
More closely related to spiders than insects, spider mites are in the phylum arthropoda and tend to be more problematic during hot weather. Nonetheless they found their way onto the chrysanthemum and subsequently into the house where they have access to other potted plants that wont make their way outdoors until next spring when temperatures are steadily above freezing.
The mum probably wasnt indoors long enough to have allowed the spider mites to make their way onto the other plants but as a precaution I wont be bringing them in again despite the danger of frost.
I would rather protect my indoor herbs and other houseplants from infestation. Mums in pots have little chance for survival in cold weather. Placed in the ground however and they could very well over-winter, especially if they are mulched to protect them from the cold.
Spider mites are tricky. Much of the time they go unnoticed until damage appears. Heavy infestation is hard to combat and sometimes the only solution is to euthanize the infested plant.
Light infestations can be managed naturally and sometimes all that is required is the physical removal of the mites from the plant with a heavy spray of water. Insecticidal soaps work well and can be purchased or made with ingredients you probably already have.
In a clean spray bottle mix a few teaspoons of non-detergent soap. Products labeled environmentally friendly will be appropriate. It is important to use real soap and not a chemically-derived detergent. Insecticidal soaps degrade the waxy layer of the pests outer cuticle and interact with the cellular membranes to cause the pest to desiccate rapidly. It sounds unpleasant because it is.
Spray your infested plants once or twice a day especially concentrating on the underside of leaves where mites can easily hide. In a few days the mite population will noticeably diminish. Continued application will ensure they will not return.
Some homemade insecticidal soap recipes will call for the addition of oils or spices and while that probably wont hurt your plants it is not entirely necessary. The important thing to remember is consistent repeated applications.
If your plants have sustained some damage from a minor to moderate mite infestation fear not as they will recover once the mites are under control.
There are other ways to control indoor plants infested with pests. The seek-and-squish method is effective albeit rather gross. Predatory mites can be purchased and released on indoor plants such as Phytoseiulus persimilis. The name is rather complex so you can just call them good bugs or name them Chuck or Roger.
The best way to keep indoor plants free of pests is to purchase pest-free plants. Before you buy indoor plants or seasonal plants look closely to see if there is any sign of infestation. With spider mites you will likely see webs on the underside of leaves.
If you see that plants are infested with mites or other pests tell someone at the nursery or greenhouse. No one wants to sell pest-infested plants and unless you bring it to an employees attention it may go unnoticed until it is too late.
