SERIES 31 | Episode 07
Jerry has a solution for an age-old problem of plants, both indoors and out – spidermite! These tiny arachnids can make short work of susceptible plants by sucking sap from the underside of foliage, leaving the foliage looking “peppered”, and eventually leading to browning off of impacted leaves. Left untreated long enough, mites can do some real harm to delicate plants, so early detection and treatment is crucial. Generally speaking, mites are at their most active when the temperature is high but humidity is low, meaning many climatic zones (as well as indoor plant enthusiasts) will find mite infestation a fact of life, whereas more tropical climates sees the humidity actually break the mites lifecycle.
Prevention of mites can involve boosting humidity around plants, either by installing saucers of water, using sprays and misters to mist the undersides of leaves where the mites feed and lay their eggs. In glasshouses of igloos, wetting the ground regularly will increase the ambient humidity, preventing the hatching of mite eggs.
When infestations are present, Jerry recommends the use of wettable sulphur, an organic remedy that has stood the test of time. Two or three treatments to impacted plants, as per the instructions on the product, is enough to stop these pesky sap suckers once and for all – no matter the weather.