Recognize spider mites
There are around a thousand different species of spider mite, of which only two are important in Germany: the common spider mite and the fruit tree spider mite. The arachnids are only about 0.5 millimeters in size and depending on the time of year they are yellow-green, brown or red in color.
also read
- How to combat spider mites on the Hawaii palm
- Recognize mealybugs on the palm - and fight them successfully
- Recognize palm pests and combat them successfully
They prefer to live on the underside of the leaf, where they pierce the leaf veins with their mouthparts, which have been converted into piercing bristles, in order to drink the sugary plant sap. The affected areas fill with air and are therefore also recognizable as light spots on the upper side. In the case of severe infestation, these flow together and the whole The leaf turns yellow.
If you smoke the affected plant, a fine web becomes visible, which serves as protection for the mites. Since the little animals with bare eye are hardly recognizable, an infestation is usually discovered through these webs.
prevention
So that spider mites do not even settle on your palm, you should ensure a good microclimate. High humidity does not provide the animals with ideal living conditions, so spray the palm with lime-free water every day.
If the humidity is permanently low, you can increase this with an indoor fountain or evaporation trays. This is particularly easy if you give the palm a very large planter in which you place a brick. Stand the plant on the stone. Now fill in enough water that the stone is in the water, but the liquid does not reach the flower pot. This allows the water to evaporate, but the palm does not get its feet wet.
What to do in the event of an infestation?
As soon as you discover spider mites on a palm, you should immediately isolate them from the other plants. Then do the following:
- Thoroughly rinse the plant in the shower.
- After drying, treat with a suitable insecticide. Make sure to also spray the undersides of the leaves.
- Apply the agent several times so that all pests are reliably killed.
- The use of works in the winter garden Predatory mites very good. The tiny beneficial insects that you can get in gardening shops are hardly bigger than the mites. They are applied directly to the infested palms, where they kill the arachnids.
Tips
Plant protection sticks, which with lice help very well, unfortunately hardly work against spider mites. We also advise against treatments with home remedies, as these are usually not sufficiently effective in the case of severe infestation.
