How to treat spider mites on indoor plants

Spider mite damage can be seen as tiny speckles or dots on the leaves. Upon closer inspection with a magnifying glass you will notice very fine webbing on your plant. Spider mites will attack your plant from bottom to top. If they are left untreated the affected plant will yellow and die.

Here are my tips for treating spider mites.

How to get rid of spider mites

First approach is to try and blast as many spider mites off your plant. You can do this by bringing the plant in the shower and using the shower head to wash top and bottom of the leaves.
Use a mix of Neem oil and insecticidal soap as a spray and soil drench. Follow the instruction on the packaging for frequency and quantity.
You can also make an 70% Isopropyl alcohol mixture to use as a spray to treat for spider mites. To make the mixture add equal parts 70% alcohol and water.
Insecticidal Sprays: if you have a heavy infestation you can go for the chemical treatment and apply it systemically as per packaging instructions.

How to prevent spider mites

A regular showering session for your indoor plants it's really beneficial as it helps blast away any unwanted visitors.
Spider mites thrive in low humidity and high temperatures. So simple things like raising humidity can help avoid spider mites
Check on your plants regularly.
Check any new plants and place them in 'quarantine' for few weeks before introducing them to your collection
Wipe leaves regularly

Photo Credit: Paramecium - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5066570

21st June, 2020